ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to present basic elements regarding marketing instruments used in the public sector, and concentrates on the definition and structuring of public services, their pricing and the possibilities of using them. Marketing instruments, also known as the marketing mix, represent an organization's means of action to attain its set marketing goals. The definition and analysis of public services is a political, managerial, and marketing issue. Public services are provided by an administrative entity or delegated to a private body. The concept of public services derives from an older concept – service to the public or service of general interest with both judicial and political scope. The actual definition of the service to be provided and its organization requires a more managerial approach. The term public service is hardly used by the European Union (EU), which, however, makes a distinction between services of general interest and services of general economic interest.
