In some VW literature it's called snow screen (ELSA, Erwin), in some it's called grille (ETKA).
I don't know if it's really meant to absorb any snow. Well, of course it could. In that case,
"hot climate versions" would probably come without it. It doesn't neccessarily need to be
true, but at least I've remember reading "somewhere" (VW literature, probably SSP or similar),
that this grille is aimed at distributing the airflow over the entire area of the filter element.
Either way, it definitely isn't a muffler. A plastic grille cannot effectively dampen any noise.
Removing that thing you probably gain nothing. If you want unrestricted air flow, get a new
filter element regularly (say, once a year). It's quite cheap (Mann, Wix, OE VW).
Great info btw.:
http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7514