PPART is a program created in 1997 by the Portuguese government, whose aim is to increase the value of, and expand and renovate the arts and crafts in Portugal.

It concerns an intervention lasting several years, whose implementation is the responsibility of the National Commission for the Promotion of Crafts and Handicrafts Microenterprises. This commission carries out an important task of co-ordination and communication between ministries, involving the departments which take care of the arts and crafts sector, and is also an institution for harmonization between the public administration and the handicrafts sector.

One of the main missions of PPART is the definition of a legal framework for handicrafts activities, a task which has already resulted in the Statute for Craftsmen and the Handicrafts Production Unit, the legal basis for the framing of handicrafts in Portugal.

Main directions of PPART's actions :

- Systematization, renovation and dissemination of traditional skills.

- Promotion and development of continuous training for craftsmen.

- Development of advanced projects combining design, new technologies and arts and crafts.

- Implementation of the process of recognition of craftsmen and handicrafts production units.

- Organization of the certification process for handicrafts products and services.

- Promoting the creation and development of handicrafts microenterprises.

- Support for the development of a marketing network.

- Promotion of a network of specialized consultants in the support of handicrafts production units.

- Support for the principle of forming associations.

- Stimulating dissemination and knowledge of the crafts and the handicrafts activity.