Italian judges refer government decree to European Court of Justice.

The Italian government's contested migrant repatriation scheme in Albania has hit a fresh hurdle after the tribunal of Bologna challenged a new decree classifying 19 countries as "safe".

The Bologna court has questioned the parameters of the migrant repatriation decree, referring it to the European Court of Justice, asking how entire countries could be declared safe where there is evidence of the persecution of minorities.

Judges cited the paradox of Nazi Germany - news agency ANSA reports - describing it as extremely safe for the great majority of the German population, with the exception of Jews, homosexuals, members of the political opposition and Roma people.

The right-wing coalition of Italian premier Giorgia Meloni last week passed a new decree to overcome court objections to its flagship immigration deal with Albania.

The decree, which classifies 19 countries as “safe”, followed the rejection by a Rome court of the detention of the first 12 migrants at the new processing centre in Albania.

The court made the ruling on the grounds that the migrants, from Bangladesh and Egypt, did not come from safe countries, and ordered their immediate return to Italy.

Meloni's government reacted angrily to the ruling and three days later changed the law, in a move slammed by human rights groups.

Under the new law, the 19 "safe countries" are: Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Morocco, Montenegro, Peru, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.

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