India has appointed Pranay Verma, currently serving as the country's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, as its next ambassador to Belgium and the European Union. The appointment was announced by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, April 10, 2026. According to the official statement, Verma, an Indian Foreign Service officer from the 1994 batch, will assume his new responsibilities in Brussels soon.

Verma has been leading India’s mission in Bangladesh since September 2022. His new posting comes at a time when India’s engagement with the European Union has gained strategic importance following the signing of a bilateral trade agreement on January 27. The agreement aims to expand trade in goods, services, and investments between India and the EU and is expected to take effect in early 2027.

India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry stated that the free trade agreement will create a future-ready trade framework to support emerging economic sectors, particularly targeting a $300 billion export goal in engineering and manufacturing.