28/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - Joint Commission/European Parliament visit on Friday. Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle is to be in Skopje on Friday 1 March, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), as part of a joint visit with the rapporteur of the European Parliament on that country, Richard Howitt (S&D, UK) (see EUROPE 10795), and the former EP president, Jerzy Buzek (EPP, Poland), in order to meet all the parties and discuss ways to overcome the political crisis. Howitt says in a press release that the joint presence of the Parliament and Commission, with parliamentarians from the main political parties shows that Europe is united in saying that it is now time for the divisions in Skopje to cease. Füle's spokesman said a positive solution to this crisis, which has lasted since December (see EUROPE10758), would help the European Commission's report on opening membership talks with that country, due for this spring, to be positive also. (CG/transl.jl)