The Common Minimum Standards for Conducting Control and Oversight Visits in the Security and Intelligence Institutions in the Republic of North Macedonia (hereinafter CMS) aims to define a common denominator for control and oversight activities undertaken by a variety of state bodies. It has its foundation in national laws and procedures, but it takes inspiration from good practices, laws, and procedures developed by other European countries.

The CMS aims to facilitate, across the security and intelligence sector (including both overseen institutions and oversight actors), a shared understanding and mutually agreed on acceptance of minimum standards that should apply in the conduct of control and oversight visits. The document is not aimed at replacing basic and ancillary documents for conducting control and oversight, but it should serve as a guide on how the legal control and oversight authority should be implemented in practice.

It is a joint roadmap that gathers necessary minimum standards, principles, and procedures prescribed in domestic legislation and international good practice, that should facilitate and contribute to the success of control and oversight activities.