London: Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has stopped short of recommending an Australian-style refugee policy for Europe, saying it "might not work" for them.

Ms Bishop was speaking in Germany on Wednesday after a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

'I'm very conscious of the fact that the geographic circumstances are very different between Europe and Australia' ... Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at a press conference in Berlin, Germany. Credit:AP

The refugee crisis in the Mediterranean has resulted in up to 1300 migrants drowning over the past week, en route from northern Africa.

It is estimated up to half a million more could attempt the sea crossing this summer, in boats that are usually horrifically overcrowded, and often unstable.