In September 2007 an exploratory meeting on GARD was held under the coordination of José Rosado Pinto, GARD initiator in Portugal, Mário Morais-Almeida, President, Portuguese Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (SPAIC), and of António Segorbe Luis, President, Portuguese Society of Pneumology (SPP). This meeting gathered potential partners from different sectors of society working in the field of chronic respiratory diseases.
The launch of GARD Portugal was held in Estoril on 20 October 2007 at the presence of Francisco George, National Health Director (representing the Ministry of Health), with the participation of Jean Bousquet, GARD Chairperson, Álvaro Cruz, WHO, Nikolai Khaltaev, GARD Adviser, national coordinators of asthma and COPD programs and more than 30 professional health societies and patients associations, health governmental departments, nongovernmental organizations, universities, pharmaceutical and industry representatives. Representatives of Portuguese speaking countries, such as Cape Verde and Mozambique, were also present.