Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba has slammed a European Commission decision to cancel a Maltese language course for employees of EU institutions, saying this was "unacceptable."

In a post on Facebook, Agius Saliba said he has called on the European Commission to reverse its decision in a letter addressed to President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

In the letter, Agius expressed concern after he was informed that the course would not be offered this year due to too few applicants who showed interest, as only four employees had signed up for the course.

"Like every other official language of the European Union, employees in the institutions have the right to apply for training in its proficiency. Coincidentally, it was only Maltese that was excluded from this training," Agius Saliba said.

Agius Saliba requested that this course be reopened as soon as possible for the applicants who expressed interest.

"Maltese is no less important than any other language," Agius Saliba said.