Hungary blocked the start of talks on two clusters of Ukraine's EU accession during technical consultations, focusing on economic and social issues, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing sources. According to the newspaper, Budapest delayed the opening of the second and third clusters, which cover single market integration and the expansion of economic and social policies. Furthermore, Budapest opposes Ukraine's fast-tracked accession to the bloc. The EU accession negotiation process comprises 33 chapters, which are grouped into six clusters. Turkey, which stands virtually no chance of joining, formally remains a candidate and has been in accession talks for nearly 21 years.