Giorgia Meloni has vowed to press ahead with Italy’s controversial policy to divert migrants to Albania despite a court ruling blocking the move.

The Italian right-wing government has said it intends to continue to pursue plans to examine asylum applications outside the EU, despite a legal defeat over the processing of the first group of migrants that arrived at Italy's new camps set up in 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.