It is not difficult to see that the Austrian government has domestic motives for blocking the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area.
The EU and migration-skeptical FPÖ is breathing down the neck of the ruling ÖVP.
The Dutch government also takes such domestic moods into account.
But that is legitimate in decision-making processes among democracies, and at least in the case of Bulgaria it is not as far-fetched as the EU Commission or the German interior minister say.
The 281,000 irregular border crossings that Frontex has already registered this year show that something is fundamentally wrong at the EU's external borders.
It is not enough to praise Bulgarian "progress" or to give the country a "chance".
To join, it must be able to reliably secure the border.
A great achievement
The freedom to travel in the Schengen area is a major achievement of European unification.
It promotes trade and tourism, and at best can even create a sense of togetherness, which the EU often lacks.
But the responsibility here does not lie solely with the transit countries in south-eastern Europe.
The problem at the external borders is also a consequence of the failed European asylum policy.
If Germany in particular does not noticeably reduce immigration through asylum procedures, the Schengen system will remain under pressure.