The EFA Book on COPD was published in June 2010, presenting COPD as a preventable and treatable disease which undermines European society by reducing productivity among the working population, while increasing costs and strains on healthcare systems across Europe. An increasing prevalence of COPD is identified as a serious obstacle for Europe, especially as it remains mostly under-diagnosed with sparse studies to demonstrate the effects of COPD upon societies as a whole. As an active member of the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GUARD), EFA released this publication to spread awareness and present an integrated approach to the problems presented by COPD.