European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen unveiled her new top team on Tuesday, assigning roles to the nominees chosen by the governments of 27 EU members.

Here are some of the key figures featuring in the line-up that will -- if approved by EU lawmakers -- help the German conservative steward the bloc through the next five years.

- Kaja Kallas: Top diplomat -

The former Estonian prime minister had already been nominated by EU leaders to be the bloc's next foreign policy chief -- putting the fierce Ukraine backer at the helm at a crucial moment.

A hawkish critic of Russia, Kallas, 47, has a personal beef with the Kremlin after her own mother was deported to Siberia by Soviet authorities in the wake of World War II.

More recently, she herself was put on Russia's wanted list.

Viewing the war on Ukraine as an existential threat to her homeland, Tallinn's "Iron Lady" is expected to maintain a laser focus on supporting Kyiv.

But with the war in Gaza raging and challenges mounting around the globe, she will have to prove quickly that she is not a one-trick pony.

- Stephane Sejourne: Last-minute sub -

Outgoing French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne was handed a high-profile, executive vice president role overseeing industrial strategy.

Sejourne, 39, was parachuted in as a late replacement as the first pick from Paris, incumbent internal market commissioner Thierry Breton, was forced out in a dramatic spat with von der Leyen.

Breton's departure leaves big shoes to fill, but the staunch ally of President Emmanuel Macron already has plenty of experience negotiating the corridors of power in Brussels.

A key part of Macron's coterie, Sejourne headed the president's centrist Renew grouping in the European Parliament before becoming France's top diplomat in January.

Paris will hope he can act as a counterweight to German dominance in Brussels.

- Raffaele Fitto: Meloni's man -

Raffaele Fitto, a member of Italy's hard-right ruling party, was also named as one of six executive vice presidents who will serve as von der Leyen's key lieutenants.

The 55-year-old was handed the "cohesion and reforms" brief in a nod to gains made by far-right parties in European elections in June.

Currently Italy's European affairs minister, Fitto knows Brussels well and is widely considered one of the more moderate faces of Meloni's government.

But as a member of her post-fascist Brothers of Italy party -- which once called for Rome to leave the eurozone -- his selection for such a powerful post has raised hackles among centrist and leftist groups.

Fitto was elected three times to the European Parliament before joining Meloni's administration in 2022, charged with managing Italy's share of the EU's vast post-Covid recovery plan.

- Teresa Ribera: Green queen -

Spain's ecological transition minister Ribera is a longtime environmentalist known for her negotiating skills and climate expertise.

The media-savvy 55-year-old, who is close with Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was made executive vice president tasked with overseeing the bloc's competition policy and its economic transition toward carbon neutrality.

A keen proponent of the EU's Green Deal, the ambitious plan to make the bloc carbon-neutral by 2050, at home she has promoted the development of hydrogen and banned wolf hunting.

But Ribera's strong stance has frequently put her at loggerheads with farmers and her opposition to nuclear power upsets EU nations including France.

- Piotr Serafin: Poland's fixer -

A well-known figure in Brussels, Serafin is a close confidant of Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, having run his office when he was the head of the European Council.

Currently serving as Warsaw's EU ambassador, the low-key operator has been named for a key role as the new budget chief.

This confirms Poland's rising weight inside the EU, and puts Warsaw in prime position when it comes to the fierce negotiations over the bloc's next budget.

- Oliver Varhelyi: Orban ally -

Hungary's Varhelyi has made his share of enemies during the past five years as the EU's enlargement and neighbourhood commissioner.

An ally of right-wing populist Viktor Orban, he has repeatedly been accused of being a spoke in the wheels on issues from Ukraine's push for membership to support for the Palestinians.

The 52-year-old was handed a diminished role covering health and animal welfare and will face a tough confirmation hearing in the European Parliament -- especially after he was caught on hot mic calling its lawmakers "idiots".

But while he's put plenty of backs up in Brussels, some diplomats say at least they have learned to work with him, and if he is blocked then Orban could propose someone even less cooperative.