Ponta Delgada, 20 July 2020
The Regional Government, through the Vice-Presidency, decided to increase to 288 thousand euros the amount available for the approval of applications under the Incentive System for the Development of Handicrafts of the Azores (SIDART).
This reinforcement of the available allocation for 2020 aims to support the Artisanal Productive Units (UPA) in the current economic situation due to the constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With this measure, whose order is published in the Official Journal, the Executive intends to approve 139 applications, ranging from projects in the area of training to investment projects in the Artisanal Productive Units.
In this sense, and taking into account the high number of applications, the Government of the Azores expresses its intention to approve all applications considered eligible, thus fostering the dynamics in the promotion and revitalization of regional handicrafts, with strong contributions to the creation of sustainability, income and the increase in jobs.
For the Executive, handicraft companies are fundamental in the context of the Region’s economy, actively contributing to the richness and diversity of its cultural heritage and, for this reason, further reinforces its support with a view to guaranteeing sustainability and, as a consequence , the maintenance of employment in the sector.
SIDART aims to promote the sustainable development of artisanal activity within the scope of the regional economy, through a set of measures that reinforce the quality of production and the competitiveness of Azorean handicraft companies.
In this way, the incentive to maintain artisanal practices of recognized cultural and economic interest is considered essential for the Government of the Azores, since they cooperate significantly to the notoriety of the Region, as well as enrich the ethnographic heritage and consolidate cultural diversity as a pole of tourist attractiveness.
For more information, contact the Regional Center for Handicrafts (CRAA), through the electronic address http://www.artesanato.azores.gov.pt or by email [email protected].
GaCS / SB