BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers want the appointment of a top EU official to be reconsidered amid a scandal that has raised questions about the accountability of civil servants in Brussels.

The lawmakers said in a resolution Wednesday that Martin Selmayr was named secretary general of the European Commission in a way that "aroused widespread irritation and disapproval in public opinion."

Selmayr, the former head of cabinet for Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, was given the top job in February at a meeting that saw him promoted twice within minutes.

The move has raised deep concerns because the Commission is the guardian of the EU's treaties and the arbiter of Europe's democratic standards yet stands accused of bending its own rules.

The Commission says it respected the rules and refuses to revoke its decision.