According to an Enterprise Ireland announcement, contracts worth _1.5 million have been signed by three Irish companies - AMCS, Cork Plastics and Anua - operating in the cleantech and manufacturing sectors, with three French firms operating in similar areas.

As per the announcement, coming during President Michael D Higgins' official visit to Paris, AMCS has inked a contract with SIRTOM de Sedan, a group of French authorities in the Ardennes region; while has singed a deal with the French building merchant Sarl Duluc; and Anua - together with its French partner L'Eau Pure - has signed a contract with French municipal authority SIAAP.

Welcoming the announcements of the partnerships that the three Irish companies have worked out with French firms, Enterprise Ireland CEO Frank Ryan said that France is the third biggest export market for Irish firms and a significant trading partner with Ireland.

Terming the achievements of the three Irish companies as noteworthy, especially in the wake of the challenging conditions in international markets, Ryan said that the announcement of the contracts is a clear reflection of Enterprise Ireland's strategy to further advance Ireland's bilateral trade and exports to mature markets such as France.

Meanwhile, congratulating the three Irish companies on their export contracts in Frnace, Higgins said in a statement from Paris: "People who are willing to innovate, to take chances and to turn ideas into reality are the people we need to lead our economy to recovery and growth."