Nature and mission

CADA - Centro de Artesanato e Design dos Açores (Azores Crafts and Design Center), is the executive body of the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, which is responsible for implementing the policy of the Government of the Azores in the areas of development, the valorisation of traditional products, namely in regional crafts and artisanal production units, professional training and the coordination of multifunctional initiatives with development in the local environment.

Institutional History

Six years after the First Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores took office in 1976, during the Second Government, the first legislation was introduced to regulate the craft sector in the Region (Ordinance No. 72/82, of December 28).

The practical application of this Ordinance led to a process of review and progressive adaptation of the legislation in force to the needs of artisans, already recognizing them, at the time, with a differentiated status through the attribution, based on technical merit, first of a certificate and after an artisan certificate whose model came into force in 1988, when, by the D.R.R. No. 74/88/A of December 6th, under the responsibility of the Regional Secretary of Commerce and Industry, Centro Regional de Apoio ao Artesanato was created, since then defining the main tasks and competencies that are still the reference of the annual activity plan of this Crafts Center today and that converge in achieving a general and common objective – the valorisation of the Traditional Arts and Crafts of the Azores.

The turn of the 21st century was historic for traditional arts and crafts; as a member of the National Commission for the Promotion of Crafts and Artisanal Microenterprises, the Regional Secretariat for the Economy, through Centro Regional de Apoio ao Artesanato, was responsible for implementing the statute of the Artisan and the Artisanal Production Unit in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in order to fit it into the global development strategy for the sector.

Approved by Decree-Law No. 41/2001 of February 9th, as amended by Decree-Law No. 110/2002 of April 16th and adapted to the Region by Regional Legislative Decree No. 19/2001/A of November 12th , amended by Regional Legislative Decree No. 16/2003/A of April 7, the statute of the Artisan and Artisanal Production Unit had as its main objective to give artisans, production units and craft activities greater visibility and social appreciation, also contributing to for the dignification of professions linked to crafts, particularly among younger people.

Pursuing this objective means working incessantly for the qualification of artisans in terms of knowledge and techniques, for the promotion of the quality of products and services, for the development of artisanal micro-enterprises and for the dignity of the status of artisans and artisanal production units.

Consolidated the institutional and professional structure of the sector with the implementation of the status of the artisan and the artisanal production unit, a certification system for artisanal products (“Artesanato dos Açores” brand) and a system of incentives for the development of companies (SIDART) , handicrafts have been taking on an increasing role in the economy of the Azores, both through the creation of additional wealth that it represents for households, and even as an instrument of employment.

Accompanying the growth in the number of artisanal production units, there is a need to give them visibility and competitive power within the local market, as well as the need to enhance, through the brand “Artesanato dos Açores”, the certified products. In a context of tourist growth, the exhibition and sales space, Azores in a Box, currently in Portas do Mar, allows the general public to have contact with certified artisanal products, in addition to several thematic exhibitions and small workshops.

Today, integrated into the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, it is the focus on the technical and professional qualification of artisans and products that has prevailed, notably with the installation of the Azores Craftlab – Arts and Crafts Innovation Center at the Azores Qualification Center , in Capelas, and with the regional implementation of the new European Geographical Indications certification system for artisanal productions.

Competences of the Crafts and Design Center of the Azores:

a) Ensure the issuance of the artisan and the artisanal production units certificate on the legal terms;

b) Specify and define the activities and professions that are considered as artisanal;

c) To clarify the processes in order of granting incentives to all crafts and the respective data inspection;

d) Proceed the collection of statistical data to enable knowledge and better definition of positive discrimination policies for the sector;

e) Develop studies and propose measures to promote regional handicrafts among interested economic agents;

f) Develop the necessary actions towards training and information of the artisans;

g) Ensure the image and quality of the artisanal product through the certification process Artesanato dos Açores;

h) Promote and inspect the productions certified by the collective brand Artesanato dos Açores and geographic indications;

i) Issue judgment on regional projects in the area of handicrafts, with an impact on economic activities;

j) Promote and stimulate regional crafts, both as a preserving element of collective memory and as a creative activity with economic potential;

k) Promote and organize fairs, exhibitions and regional, national and international fairs and coordinate the participation and the exchange of the Region in national or international networking;

l) Stimulate the creation of more competitive micro-enterprises, at quality and differentiation of some products predicated on the most relevant aspects of the cultural and natural heritage of the Region, combining innovation and tradition;

m) Develop cooperative relations with other national and international organizations, favoring the establishment of agreements and protocols that contribute to the cultural, social and economic promotion of the Region in the area of handicrafts;

n) Attribute merit mentions to the handicraft production units with consolidated and historically relevant career, whose work contributed to the preservation and expansion of the identity of the arts and crafts of the Azores;

o) Ensure the collection, organization, production and availability of knowledge about craft practices;

p) Edit publications and texts of technical and promotional interest as a strategy to value artisanal products.

q) Facilitate the access to traditional craft techniques, through formal and informal learning in conjunction with training and employment measures and the creation of partnerships with educational establishments;

r) Award study and research grants in the field of handicrafts, with a view of guaranteeing the continuity and renewal of the sector, through the specialized training of new artisans and research leading to their preservation and innovation;

s) Ensure the realization of other tasks that, within the scope of each area of competence, are assigned or entrusted, being responsible for them.

Plan for the Prevention of Risks and Corruption and Related Infractions

Errata to the document Plan for the Prevention of Risks and Corruptiontion and Related Offenses

Code of Conduct and Ethics