The EU, as a distinct governing system, should be analyzed within the broader field of political science.

In turn, politics and its practice can be analyzed and approached as: an activity, a way of governing, a means of evolving institutions and governance processes, or a mechanism that sets specific priorities, such as achieving social goals (e.g., income redistribution), providing public goods, and creating a framework for enhancing citizens' well-being.

Governance and the practice of politics are, in a sense, identical concepts. Politics is defined as "the science and art of governance," while its subject matter is "the form, organization, and administration of a state."

The EU is primarily, but not exclusively, a field of comparative politics. Within such an approach, "the similarities and differences in the execution/implementation of specific functions by different political systems" are analyzed based on non-identical principles and traditions.