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The European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (ETAGE) is a body of at least seven immunization experts appointed by the WHO Regional Director for Europe. This group is tasked with providing independent review and expert technical input to WHO/Europe’s Vaccine-preventable Diseases and Immunization programme, with the goal of facilitating and accelerating achievements in relation to the eradication, elimination and control of infectious diseases in the Region.

ETAGE began as the European Advisory Group on the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EAG/EPI), which was established in the early 1990s to facilitate the development of the regional immunization programme. It effectively guided the programme for several years, particularly in relation to the revision of immunization policies in the newly independent states, to control the epidemic of diphtheria and to eliminate poliomyelitis from the WHO European Region. Since the late 1990s, many countries in the Region have undergone major health care reforms. To respond to such changes in systems and disease epidemiology, EAG’s terms of reference were revised and ETAGE was established in 2003. A further revision was made to ETAGE’s membership and operations in 2011 in order to better align with its parent advisory committee at the global level, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), and with regional policies such as Health 2020.

ETAGE has worked within the scope of the Global Immunization Vision and Strategies (GIVS), a strategy developed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and WHO that provides direction for immunization programmes from 2006 through 2015. In May 2011, the World Health Assembly adopted a Global Vaccine Action Plan, which will build on the success of GIVS. Going forward, ETAGE will use this plan as its strategic framework.