Italy’s Giorgia Meloni needs to explain why nations are deemed safe and open decision to legal challenges, says ECJ

The specific case that led to the ECJ's opinion involved two Bangladeshi nationals who were rescued at sea by Italian authorities and taken to Italy's detention centre in Albania, where their asylum claims were rejected based on Italy's classification of Bangladesh as a "safe" country.

A ruling by the EU's top court has dealt a further blow to Italy's attempts to create a fast-track system in Albania for processing asylum applications offshore. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has said that the way the Italian government currently defines whether a country is "safe" to return someone whose application is rejected contravenes EU law.

European wine and spirits will face a 15% U.S. import tariff until a different deal is agreed in talks expected to continue in the autumn, the European Commission and EU diplomats said on Thursday, dashing producers' hopes of an immediate reprieve.

Slovenia on Friday became the first European country to ban weapons trading with Israel over the growing humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave in Israel's ongoing war.

Slovenia has become the first country in the European Union to ban all weapons trade with Israel over its war on Gaza. The announcement comes two weeks after the Central European nation declared Israeli ministers persona non grata,

Slovenia has been one of the most vocal EU countries calling for the bloc to take action against Israel. The country recognised a Palestinian state in June last year and has since repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza and increased aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.