Includes CD

Includes bibliography (54-65 p.)

'ABSTRACT This thesis exploration is rooted on evaluative answers, to the principal dilemma in dealing with the comparative approach of the European Union (EU) as a federation or confederation. The hypothesis which drives this research, does not consume either of the two definitions in absolute totality. So this paper aims its findings, that today\'s EU cannot be classified precisely, even with the existence of its political institutions that upholds; the executive and legislative strength of the Union. Yet still, these traditional pillars of the EU\'s democratic setup, contains mixed elements of the intergovernmental and supranational identities. Hence, this paper suggests that confederation and federation political structures; are of conspicuous relevance to the EU, owing to its strong dynamics in accordance to its sui generis. The inevitable question of the EU\'s political structure, from its integration mystifies all and sundry, with different scholarship bamboozled at loggerheads. In absence of a conclusive resolution, this paper is further poised, at exploring the subject matter using the functionalism and federalism analytic lens. Albeit, through the curtains of conclusion, what remains in contention unequivocally; is the outcome, that the EU dwells on a political structure that cannot (yet) be analysed; on an absolute equilibrium of the subject matter, but rather as a distinctive hybrid of both. Keywords: European Union; Evolution; Federation; Confederation; Lisbon Treaty; Intergovernmental; Supra-nationalism'