Background - Measles remains present in Europe despite the introduction of the measles vaccine into childhood immunization programs more than 20 years ago. The objective here is to conduct an epidemiological review of measles as the 2010 deadline—the target date for the disease’s eradication—approaches. Method - Data collected by national surveillance agencies in 32 European countries were analyzed for the year 2008. The data obtained pertain to age groups, diagnostic confirmation methods, vaccination status, hospitalizations, imported cases, the presence of acute encephalitis as a complication of measles, and finally the number of deaths associated with this disease. Clinical cases, biologically confirmed cases, and epidemiologically linked cases that met national surveillance criteria were analyzed. The cases were then divided into age groups: under 1 year, 1 to 4 years, 5 to 9 years, 10 to 14 years, 15 to 19 years, and over 20 years. Countries where the annual incidence rate of endemic measles per 100,000 inhabitants was zero, less than 0.1, between 0.1 and 1, and greater than 1 were classified as having a zero, low, moderate, and high rate, respectively. Results - In 2008, 7,822 cases of measles were recorded, most of which (n=7,039, or 90%) occurred in six countries: Switzerland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Austria. The majority of these cases were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children; however, one in four cases was aged 20 years or older. One measles-associated death was reported. The high incidence of measles in certain European countries thus revealed insufficient vaccination coverage. Of the 218 cases reported as imported, 165 (76%) originated from another European country, and 30 (14%) came from Asia. Interpretation - Given the insufficient vaccination coverage, doubts remain regarding the elimination of the disease by 2010. The pillars of the European plan for the elimination of measles in Europe rest on satisfactory vaccination coverage and the need to maintain this coverage, as well as on improved surveillance. (R.A.)