2. Is deeply concerned that, under the new working method, which provides for complaints received by the Commission to be referred back to the Member State concerned (which is the party responsible for the incorrect application of Community law in the first place), the Commission may be failing to meet its institutional responsibility for ensuring the application of Community law as 'guardian of the treaties', in accordance with Article 211 of the EC Treaty; notes that the Commission is frequently the only remaining body to which citizens can turn to complain about the failure to apply Community law; urges the Commission to submit to P ...[+++]arliament a first report by November 2008 on the procedures followed and results obtained during the first six months of the pilot project which commenced on 15 April 2008 and which involves 15 Member States;

18. Calls for closer cooperation between the European Parliament and national parliaments with a view to promoting and increasing effective monitoring of the application of Community law at national, regional and local levels; considers that national parliaments have a valuable role to play in monitoring the application of Community law, thus helping to enhance the democratic legitimacy of the European Union and bring it closer to the people;

17. Recognises that Parliament's standing committees should play a more active role in monitoring the application of Community law; is convinced that the committees should be given adequate administrative support to enable them to play this role effectively; calls on the Working Party on Parliamentary Reform, the Committee on Budgets and other relevant Parliament bodies to examine the feasibility of a special task force within each committee's secretariat so as to ensure the continuing and effective monitoring of the application of Community law;

19. Observes that the Commission is often the only body left to which citizens can turn to complain about the non-application of Community law; is therefore concerned that, by referring back to the Member State concerned (which is the party responsible for the incorrect application of Community law in the first place), the new working method could present a risk of weakening the Commission's institutional responsibility for ensuring the application of Community law as the "guardian of the Treaty" in accordance with Article 211 of the EC Treaty;

19. Observes that the Commission is often the only body left to which citizens can turn to complain about the non-application of Community law; is therefore concerned that, by referring back to the Member State concerned (which is the party responsible for the incorrect application of Community law in the first place), the new working method could present a risk of weakening the Commission's institutional responsibility for ensuring the application of Community law as the "guardian of the Treaty" in accordance with Article 211 of the EC Treaty;

In its annual reports on monitoring the application of Community law, the Commission has regularly acknowledged the vital role played by the complainant in detecting infringements of Community law, compliance with which it ensures on the basis of, inter alia, the infringement procedure laid down by Article 226 of the Treaty establishing the European Community and Article 141 of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community.