"I don't think it is a very good idea. We will always do our part in picking people up - it is in our DNA, " said association secretary general Anne Steffensen, "but we don't think we should be part of the long term solution."

"It is a job for European governments and Triton (the EU border force control). We urge governments to spend the money on Triton rather than owners," she said at a briefing this morning in Copenhagen.