''The top 20% of graduates from the school system, pretty much all of the top 20% leave each year. So, it's a huge loss to the country,'' said World Bank representative to Bulgaria, Anthony Thompson at a news conference Thursday. ''Why are they leaving? Partly it's the few job opportunities but partly it's the poor quality of services.''

He addressed the brain drain issue further, mentioning his private talks with a Bulgarian associate to the organization who moved from Bulgaria to Washington.

''[...]actually the quality of life in many ways is better here,'' he explained. ''But ultimately for him and I think for most young Bulgarians who move abroad, his greatest concern was the quality of the education. He thought he could do much better for his kids if he took the family overseas because they would have a greater opportunity than they would have here. So it's not just about the job opportunities it's about the quality of services.''

Thompson added that another key problem for Bulgaria remains the low fertility rate.

''People are choosing to limit their families, and not because they don't want to have more children but because they don't have a strong sense of hope about the future.''  

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