The big debate before the elections in Bulgaria in the fall should be whether people want to live in a dirty city or prefer restrictions in traffic, said Bulgaria's Eco Minister Nona Karadzhova.

In an interview for the Bulgarian Darik Radio on Saturday, the minister announced the data from the report of the European Environment Agency, which states that about 57% of the Bulgarian population is exposed to levels of fine dust exceeding the norm and that automobiles are the main source of noise in the cities.

In Karadzhova's words, almost all municipalities in Bulgaria are developing programs to reduce pollution, but there is a delay because the plans for these programs were scheduled to be presented in Brussels at the beginning of 2009.

"The European Commission could fine us because this problem is directly connected to people's health," the minister has pointed out.

She has added that an interagency working group is supposed to develop proposals for legislative changes, which are envisioned to help the pollution problem.

Tax relief is only one of the measures, which could be introduced for stimulating the use of eco-automobiles, Karadzhova has explained.

"It is all about the efforts of the municipalities," she said.