Status of Maltese in UAE

I am currently living in the United Arab Emirates and have to constantly renew my visit visa from Malta every 59 days at a fee of €41.92 (Lm18).

Could the Maltese authorities explain why we Maltese are still being treated as non-EU members? Why do the Maltese need a visa to enter the UAE and the Gulf when all other EU members can have a free passport stamped visa at the airport?

Before a visit to Oman last month, I was told that EU members do not require a prior visit visa but that passports are stamped at the airport against a fee. I arrived there only to discover that Maltese are not considered EU members. I was held up at the airport and faced a considerable delay before being allowed into Oman.