Maltese European Commissioner John Dalli has hit out over the absence of Christmas in the Europa Diary.

In a statement, Mr Dalli, who is responsible for health and consumer affairs, said:

"Each year, the European Commission publishes a European school diary for teenagers containing accessible information on consumer and other issues.

"It covers a range of topics which can be of interest or help to this age group. This is the seventh year of publication of the diary which is distributed at the request of teachers.

"The current version of the Europa Diary includes a number of religious events and other special days in relation to culture and history. It has come to my attention that the current edition of the Diary does not refer to those religious holidays and events, such as Christmas, that are of European heritage.

"I very much regret this incoherence and am taking immediate action."

The issue was also brought up by Johanna Touzel, the spokesman for the Catholic Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, who said the absence of Christian festivals was "just astonishing".

"Christmas and Easter are important feasts for hundreds of millions of Christians and Europeans. It is a strange omission. I hope it was not intentional," she said.

"If the commission does not mark Christmas as a feast in its diaries then it should be working as normal on December 25."

The European Catholic Commission protested to the European Commission, which apologised.

The European Union reportedly sent sent millions of diaries to schools, listing the dates of Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Chinese festivals.

There is no record for Christmas, Easter or Lent - but the diary does feature the EU’s ‘Europe Day’ on May 9.