A top European Union official has refused to be drawn on an opinion of an agreement between Italy and Albania to process some migrants in centers set up in the tiny Western Balkan country, saying only that it was being closely monitored.

The first 16 migrants rescued at sea while trying to reach Europe by way of Italy arrived at the Albanian port of Shengjin on Wednesday aboard an Italian navy vessel, marking an extraordinary change in the handling of Mediterranean migration.

Italian judges ruled Friday against the detention of the first migrants sent for processing in Albania, dealing a major blow to a flagship policy of Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government.Her government hopes what she has called a "new,

Italy’s far-right government has approved a new decree aimed at overcoming judicial hurdles that risked derailing a controversial migration deal with Albania.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government is pushing through new legislation to salvage its controversial plan to curb undocumented migration, after a court blocked a project to divert asylum seekers to Albania.

Italy's hard-right government passed a new law Monday to overcome legal opposition to a migrant deal with Albania, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused judges of political bias.