Bulgaria will design a national standard to determine the criteria for the construction and operation of buildings that exert minimum impact on the environment, regional development minister Rosen Plevneliev said at an industry event. A working group will be put together of ministry officials and industry associations, who will bang their heads together to come up with a certification mechanism for green construction.

"From now on everyone will profess to be green so the government should set clear indicators in terms of green standards", according to the minister. The working group of experts of the ministries of environment, regional development, economy and finance joined by representatives of the Bulgarian Green Buildings Council will tap into international green building experience. Globally, a number of certificates including the UK's BREEAM, Germany's DGNB and the US LEED are awarded to buildings to show that they consume the least possible amount of water and electricity, have been built using sustainable and, if possible, local materials, and substantially reduces generated waste.

The office of the American Embassy is Bulgaria's sole fully certified green building at the moment. According to Bulgaria's regional development ministry, the energy efficiency makeover of all of the country's prefab concrete apartments will gobble up EUR 4 billion. This investment would result in annual savings of EUR 560 million, the ministry estimated.