Brussels, 07/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton stated on Wednesday 7 March that she looked forward to the EU soon being granted observer status on the Arctic Council. “We want to become an observer in the Arctic Council, not just because some of our member states are so connected to it, but because all of the European Union has something to offer. (…) I believe the Arctic Council is an important way of bringing together the nations and the indigenous people of those nations, but it's also an opportunity for us all to think about the future of the Arctic”, she said. She pointed to the challenges, such as climate change, and the opportunities too, such as energy, iron mining and trade routes, “a very interesting issue for the countries of this region but also for world trade, because the potential of being able to use the routes of the Arctic is enormous”. (CG/transl.rt)