The Maltese Parliament is one of only two EU countries without a representative in Brussels because it did not make an official request to the government to obtain the necessary funds.
Spain is the only other country without a representative.
A report issued by the European Commission last month showed that in the past three years the Maltese Parliament did not send a single remark to a request for consultation by the EU Executive on hundreds of proposals.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Louis Galea said last month that, unlike the government, Parliament did not yet have the necessary set-up to react to the European Commission in Brussels and it also lacked funds for a permanent representative.
"This is a proposal (for a permanent representative) I fully support but which can only be put in effect if Parliament receives the necessary financial support in its budgetary allocation," the Speaker had said.
However, government sources now say the Speaker has to date not made such a request.
"The House of Representatives has never made an official request to the Finance Ministry to allocate the necessary funds so that it can have its own permanent representative in Brussels," the sources said.
Questions sent to Dr Galea remained unanswered despite various reminders.
Officially, the government is not stating whether it agrees that the Maltese Parliament should have a permanent representative based in the EU capital. This despite the fact that the government already has about 60 officials based at Dar Malta to cover its needs, including one specifically detailed to monitor on a daily basis the work of the European Parliament.
Asked whether the funding would be made available if requested, a government spokesman said the matter would be discussed by the Finance Ministry and the Speaker in preparation for the upcoming budget.
The absence of a Maltese parliamentary official in Brussels contrasts sharply with other EU member states which, in many cases, have more than one official covering various sectors of the EP's work, including committees. These officials also meet regularly to discuss various inter-parliamentary issues.
An official said that the Maltese Parliament, like all the other EU parliamentary Chambers, was allocated space in the European Parliament building in Brussels to have its own office and officials.