Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles will appear before the Senate on 18 August to address the armed forces' role in the Ceuta migration crisis, a concession the opposition People's Party has claimed as a victory won through sustained pressure.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, however, will not attend a Senate commission session scheduled for Wednesday, as the government steers ministers toward a consolidated appearance in the lower house later in the month. The PP has accused both Grande-Marlaska and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares of 'democratic rebellion' for declining Senate invitations. The government argues that holding parallel sessions in both chambers creates unnecessary duplication and favours the Congress of Deputies for its constitutional primacy.
Senate President Pedro Rollán formally protested to the government by letter and maintained the official summonses. The PP continues to press for all three ministers to testify in the upper chamber.