MADRID — The Spanish government on Monday summoned the American ambassador to address allegations that the National Security Agency had recently collected data on 60 million telephone calls in Spain.

Adding to a spying scandal that includes Brazil, France, Germany and Mexico, the government’s move came after two Spanish newspapers reported Monday that the agency had gathered data on phone numbers and locations but had not monitored the contents of the calls.

After his meeting with Spanish officials, the ambassador, James Costos, issued a statement in which he acknowledged Spain’s worries about the surveillance programs and said, “Ultimately, the United States needs to balance the important role that these programs play in protecting our national security and protecting the security of our allies with legitimate privacy concerns.”

Mr. Costos did not discuss the details of the spying claims, nor did the Spanish government after the meeting, which lasted less than an hour. Instead, Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, a Spanish secretary of state, referred in a separate statement to the need to maintain “a necessary balance” between security and privacy concerns. Spain, he added, is calling on Washington to clarify “the reach of measures that, if proven to be true, are improper and unacceptable between partners and friendly countries.”