In September 1995 an agreement on the creation of Trans-border Union of Bug Euro-region was signed. Besides Wolyn District it included four former provinces of Chelm, Lublin, Tarnobrzeg, and Zamosc. In May 1998 new members were admitted: Brest District Belarus and the former Biala Podlaska province. Since then the Bug Euro-region has been one of the largest in Europe.
The Bug Euro-region covers an area of about 80,000 sq km and is inhabited by over 5 million people. The largest towns are: Lublin with a population of 356,000, Brest 300,000, Luck 219,000, Baranowicze 168,900 and Pinsk 131,000.
Important communications routes pass through the area of the Bug Euro-region, connecting West European countries with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of the former USSR. There are border crossings for people and goods of European importance: Hrebenne, Dorohusk, Terespol, Zosin, Hrubieszow, Kukuryki, Slawatycze. As far as nature is concerned, the Bug Euro-region can be divided into two distinct parts. The southern part, in which upland areas predominate,includes part of the Kielce-Sandomierz Upland, the Lublin Upland with Roztocze and Wolyn Upland. This is an area of good or very good soil. The characteristic feature of this area is its varied curvature with picturesque ravines. There are not many forests in the area and there is usually a deficit in water resources. The northern part, which straddles the Lublin Polesie and the Wolyn Polesie, is flat, intersected by a thick network of water-courses, wooded with vast peat bogs and marshes which are a refuge for rare species of animals.
In 1999, due to the introduction of the local government reform in Poland, as well as the passing of competence laws regarding the co-operation with foreign countries, some changes in the membership of the federation were necessary. During the general meeting of the Council of the Bug Euro-region in Brest (Belarus) held on October 18th 1999, the representative of Belarus and president of the Brest District Council of Deputies, Leonid Lemieszewski, was elected president. Besides, Borys Kli-mczuk from the part of Ukraine and Marek Tecza from the part of Poland became members of the Presidium of the Council.
The executive organ of the Euro-region is its secretariat, the national offices of which are located in Brest, Chelm and Luck.
The Bug Euro-region takes up editorial initiatives and conducts research activities. With the contribution of the Scientific Research Committee an Ordered Research Project (PBZ - 05901) was introduced, within the limits of which the Strategies for Bug Euro-region Development were also prepared.
In January 1996 Trans-border Union of Bug Euro-region got in contact with the European Border Regions Society in Gronau. Five months later, on June 13th 1996, the federation was included among the members of EBRS.
In January 1997 the federation was visited by European Committee members who also visited the Dorohusk-Jagodzin border crossing which had been extended from the Phare funds. They also got acquainted with the range of trans-border co-operation. In March 1997 the Bug Euro-region was visited by Jens Gabbe, the European Border Regions Society secretary general. In the following years the contacts with EBRS were strengthened. In November 1998, during the general meeting in Nice, a representative of the Bug Euro-region was elected a member of the Society's leadership.
Through the Bug Euro-region efforts in 1998 the right to implement projects within the Phare Fund for Small Projects was obtained. Within nine projects amounting to 120,000 EURO, the Euro-region office's own project was also carried out.