Government keeps plan to merge the National Security Agency and the Intelligence Agency, no deadline announced
Mickoski promised a public debate and parliamentary oversight, while MP Trajčuleski warned of a concentration of security power. No draft text has been published.
During parliamentary questions on October 29 the government confirmed that it is not giving up on the plan to merge the National Security Agency (ANB) and the Intelligence Agency (AR). SDSM MP Mitko Trajčuleski asked for the reform to be abandoned, and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski replied that the process will be transparent, with a public debate and strengthened parliamentary oversight. The topic was covered by Telma, 360 Stepeni, Netpress, Nova Makedonija, MKD.MK, Lokalno and others. This is an overview of what is known and what is not.
What is known. The merger is part of VMRO-DPMNE’s election programme, according to Mickoski. The aim, according to him, is one agency with the information needed to protect sovereignty and democratic capacity, with mechanisms against abuse. The reform is being prepared in coordination with the competent institutions and the country’s strategic partners.
What the prime minister promised. A public debate, a transparent process and a key role for the Assembly in oversight of the future institution. As safeguards against abuse he mentioned the Operational-Technical Agency and the mechanisms of legal liability. He also said that if something is contrary to the law, it is abuse. He cited the US, Croatia, other European countries and NATO partners as similar models.
What the opposition warned. Trajčuleski said the merger may concentrate security power and open room for political misuse of the services. As an example he cited past abuses, among them the illegal wiretapping scandal.
What is not known. The reports we checked do not mention a draft law with a text, nor a deadline for the public debate or for the merger itself. It is not said who will propose the law, how many people will work in the new agency, or how the competence between intelligence and internal security will be divided. There is also no published analysis of the costs.
Status. For now the reform is a plan. There is no adopted decision, no vote and no formal submission to the Assembly.
What to follow. First, when the text will be published and whether it will be open to public consultation. Second, what the parliamentary oversight will look like: which body, with what powers and with what deadlines for reports. Third, whether a clear division will be defined between collecting intelligence and monitoring communications.
Who the two agencies are. The ANB and the AR are two separate institutions with different competences. A merger is therefore not just an administrative change, but also means redefining what each service does and who oversees it. That is why the opposition asks for a detailed text before any decision.
What the proposal should contain. A clear mandate for the new agency, a named oversight body in the Assembly, rules for employees during the transition and judicial control over communication-monitoring measures. These are our questions for reading the future text, not published provisions.
Why it matters. Security services have special powers, so the way they are overseen matters more than the organisational change itself. The debate on this will be credible only once there is a text that can be read.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 30, 2026
