Data - Integrity Pacts – Civil Control Mechanism for Safeguarding EU Funds

The Directorate General of Cultural Heritage has a mission to safeguard and preserve Portugal’s important historical treasures. Amongst these treasures, the Alcobaça Monastery stands out as a wonderful example of Portuguese architecture. With areas of the structure dating back as far as the 12th century, the site retains many of its medieval features. Careful restoration and preservation are essential in order to safeguard the future of Alcobaça, which is also one of the most important and most influential Cistercian centres in the Iberian Peninsula. Given its unique history, the Monastery has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A €1 million project will help protect the intricate designs of the Monastery. Transparency International Portugal is monitoring the works in an effort to improve the transparency and efficiency of the funding. This means that, amongst other measures, key information relating to the procurement is made available to interested citizens.

The Directorate General of Cultural Heritage is the only public agency in Portugal so far implementing an Integrity Pact. Therefore, the Alcobaça Monastery project is acting as a case study, and it is hoped that lessons learnt from its implementation will be beneficial for other publicly funded works, boosting transparency and value for money.