On the eve of April's G20 summit in London, diplomats from the European Union and South Korea were poised for a breakthrough. After months of hard negotiation, they planned to stride on to the summit stage to unveil an ambitious free trade agreement.
The announcement would proclaim loudly the two parties' commitment to free trade at a time when fears of protectionism were rising everywhere. It would mark a victory for Catherine Ashton, who took over as European trade commissioner late last year.
Yet the deal failed to materialise, as it has several times since then. That failure was due in large part to the efforts of Europe's automotive industry and its chief lobbyist in Brussels, Ivan Hodac, chief executive of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or Acea.