The chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)‐1/CCL2 and its receptor CCR2 have been strongly implicated in disease pathogenesis in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), whereas data on the CCL2–CCR2 axis are scarce in MS. We studied the expression of CCR2 on leukocytes in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with monosymptomatic optic neuritis and MS, and the concentration of CCL2 in the CSF from these patients. Results were compared with the results in non‐inflammatory neurological controls and were correlated with other parameters (magnetic resonance imaging and CSF data). Our findings suggest a limited role for CCL2/CCR2 in early active MS.