The expected budget surplus for the first six months of 2016 is 3.5% of the GDP, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said. "I can state that we will be far from the 2% deficit laid out in the consolidated fiscal program for this year. We expect a surplus at about 3.5% of GDP for the first half of 2016. This is a good result that guarantees the stabilization of public finances”, Goranov explained. He added that based on moderate optimism it could be claimed that Bulgaria – against the background of the geopolitical and economic instability – had fared relatively well, in fact much better than in recent years.