The Maltese are the European students most exposed to the study of English as a foreign language, according to data published by the European Commission to mark European Day of Languages on Monday.

In Malta all pupils attending primary and secondary school study English, although it is also very popular in Italy and Spain (99 per cent) and Greece (96 per cent).

Italian is the second favourite foreign language among Maltese students, with 31 per cent opting to study Dante Alighieri’s tongue in secondary school.