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

An Italian coastguard vessel collected migrants that were held in reception centres in Albania and transferred them to Italy on Saturday, after a court ruling dealt a blow to Rome's plans to house migrants picked up at sea outside the EU.

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.

The ruling was a major blow to the conservative government’s plan to have asylum claims heard in Albania instead of Italy.

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.

Italy’s government has declared 19 countries safe for migrants as part of a new law designed to salvage its €670 million plan to process asylum seekers in Albania.