It was a particularly good St Patrick' Day for the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, who achieved a small psychological victory for the duty-free campaigners in Brussels. Ms O'Rourke managed to get eight EU transport ministers to agree to a request for an EU study of the social affects of abolition. One immediate social affect was the 24-hour closure of French ports yesterday by workers opposed to abolition. Campaigners are hoping to use the lever of an "impact assessment" on the removal of duty-free next year to delay or ultimately water down the decision.

The issue, likely to be considered by a meeting of Finance Ministers in mid-May, is a vexed one, with a strong lobbying campaign pushing hard for derogation. Observers still believe that duty-free is a lost cause but live in hope that a classic Brussels fudge of compromise may emerge. Given the day that was in it, Ms O'Rourke distributed some amber liquid of good cheer, handing around bottles of Jameson Gold to her fellow ministers, appropriately enough a whiskey only available in duty-free.