ROME

A Rome court on Monday suspended its decision on the detention of seven migrants in an Albanian reception center, referring the case to the European Court of Justice for an opinion.

The ruling represents a second major hurdle for the controversial agreement between Italy and Albania, aimed at outsourcing procedures for migrants rescued in the Mediterranean while they wait for their asylum requests to be vetted.

Following the new decision, the seven migrants – from Bangladesh and Egypt – who were brought to the Albanian center last week will be allowed to return to Italy.

An eighth migrant had already been returned to Italy last week after being deemed “vulnerable” for health reasons.

Last month, the Rome judges rejected the detention of a first group of 12 migrants sent to the newly opened Albanian centers as their countries of origin were not considered safe enough for repatriation.

Italy's far-right government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni then adopted a new decree aimed at solving the judicial obstacles to its migration agreement with Albania.

The decree reduced the number of countries considered safe by law, so that Rome can send migrants back to those countries using a fast-track procedure, in case they are not granted asylum under Italian law.

The five-year deal between Rome and Tirana set up two detention centers in Albania, which are expected to host 3,000 migrants per month picked up by the Italian Coast Guard in international waters. Meanwhile, the migrants can be processed for possible asylum in Italy or sent back to their countries if their applications are rejected.

Meloni has strongly promoted the deal, saying it could become a new model for other European countries to handle surging illegal migration.

However, human rights groups and NGOs active in the Mediterranean argue the deal threatens human rights and conflicts with international laws.