Bosnia-Herzegovina became an independent state in 1992, following the breakup of Yugoslavia. With independence came a complex process of political, economic, institutional and identity-related transition that was pivotal to the reconstitution of the social contract. This process has resulted in Bosnia-Herzegovina being granted EU candidate status in 2022. Although the focus of analysis in Bosnia-Herzegovina is on the post-independence period, the inclusion of a long-term perspective will give a deeper understanding of continuities and discontinuities in the social contract, as well as resilient features emerging from the interaction with the EU.