The Court of Justice of the European Union was asked to weigh in on whether Italy's accelerated asylum process — used to swiftly return migrants from countries not experiencing war or major crises — complies with EU law.

The European Union's top court is to rule on Friday on a list issued by Italy of countries labelled as safe enough for asylum seekers to be returned there. The list is part of an effort by the right-wing government in Rome to speed up the vetting of asylum requests and to allow fewer people to enter Italy.

While ruling Italy's plan to fast-track migrant deportations is legal, the European Court of Justice set out some limits. Those include disclosing sources for their assessment of a country being considered "safe.