The European lung corner.

This issue of the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) sees the first of a new bimonthly section of articles entitled the European Lung Corner. The European Lung Corner will introduce topics of European Union (EU) affairs relevant to respiratory medicine and science. As you may or may not be aware, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) has an office in Brussels, Belgium, situated in the heart of the European quarter, entirely dedicated to advocacy and raising awareness among the public and policy makers of the burden of respiratory diseases across Europe. In doing so, the EU Affairs Dept works to promote prevention, health research, environmental protection, tobacco control and public health. As the ERS Secretary for EU Affairs, it is my privilege to present the EU Affairs Dept: B. Ward (Head of European Affairs), M. Barry (Policy Officer), T. El Nemr (Advocacy Officer) and N. Kamel (Scientific Officer).