Article International Review of Administrative Sciences An extension of exemptions: systemic shifts in European Union law and policies Ildik  o Bartha MTA-DE Public Service Research Group, University of Debrecen, Hungary Tama ´s M. Horva ´th MTA-DE Public Service Research Group, University of Debrecen, Hungary Abstract Rules on services of general interest allow exceptions to the internal market law of the European Union. Do these exceptions really remain within the limits of free competition? Nowadays, this question seems not to be independent from the risk of direct political considerations influencing the market of public services. This tendency may result in national legislative or administrative measures that may run counter to the spirit of the original objectives of European Union integration. European Union substantive and pro- cedural law does not seem to raise unavoidable obstacles to such efforts. In the context of the European Union regulatory framework for services of general interest, our research focuses on the results of an analysis of a database of European Union court cases that highlights the challenges and threats of recent national instruments of public sector orga- nization to the operation of the European Union internal market and competition rules. Points for practitioners The role of states, either through a shift in their regulatory influence or by means of direct economic intervention, has undergone changes in the last 15 years of European Corresponding author: Ildik o Bartha, MTA–DE Public Service Research Group, University of Debrecen, Hungary. Email: bartha.ildiko@law.unideb.hu International Review of Administrative Sciences 0(0) 1–17 ! The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0020852320905359 journals.sagepub.com/home/ras