Bulgaria's agricultural sector might be destroyed by the consequences of the global warming, according to the Time Foundation expert Stoyan Faldzhiyski, who made this warning Thursday during a EU conference on climate change in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Faldzhiyski pointed out that by the end of the 21st century the average annual temperature in Bulgaria would rise by 2-5 degrees Celsius, while the amount of the precipitation might decrease by 10%, which would lead to the desertification of the region.

In his words, the Mediterranean climate patterns were already moving north into south central and southeastern Bulgaria, and the destructive effects on the local agriculture would lead even more people to flock to the cities.

The other huge problem before Bulgaria's agriculture according to Faldzhiyski was the fact that of the some 650 000 Bulgarians employed in the agriculture sector, only about 11 000 were between 24 and 35 years of age.

The expert stated it was high time the Bulgarian government formulated a national policy to prevent the problems likely to be caused by climate change.

During the conference in Thessaloniki, there were also prognoses that because of the global consequences of climate change estimated 900 million people might leave their home countries in the coming decades, and try to emigrate to the European Union.