(ANSA) - TRIESTE, JUN 23 - According to a survey presented at the Trieste Investment Forum 2022, more than 60% of financial, banking, and insurance associations located in the Western Balkans and Southern Mediterranean regions agree that they would benefit from a process of 'Pan-European integration,' which would include the Balkans and Southern Mediterranean countries.

According to the survey, 22 percent of respondents "strongly agree" with the idea, while 44 percent "agree" with the concept of "Pan-European integration." Almost 90% of respondents agreed that a "Pan-European integration" would encourage investments through long-term initiatives and promote public-private partnerships. Furthermore, the study found that more than half of respondents believe that the Covid-19 situation and the Russia-Ukraine war have strained relations between their local financial community and the EU financial industry.

The Italian Banking, Insurance, and Finance Federation - FeBAF - conducted the poll among 48 financial, banking, and insurance groups in Poland, Romania, Greece, Estonia, Croatia, Slovakia, Georgia, Latvia, and Tunisia. (ANSA).