This building, far smaller in size, was planned to house the offices and representatives of the Maltese constituted bodies in the EU capital.

But now GRTU and the Malta Employers Association want to pull out, leaving the Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Industries with a half-empty building.

GRTU, director general Vince Farrugia told The Malta Independent, it is already member of a number of EU-based associations such as Euro-Commerce and Ecosoc. In this day and age of electronic mail, cheap telephone communications and frequent travel, GRTU members have gotten used to travelling back and forth.

The agreement to have a common house was reached through the mediation of the government last April, with the government forking out part of the required expenses.

However, Mr Farrugia remained sceptical on how useful such common representation really is. The interests of the various constituted bodies, he said, does not always tally even though they many times have common interests.