Brussels, June 10 (teleSUR-RHC)-- As Latin American, Caribbean and European leaders gather in Brussels ahead of the EU-CELAC conference, a parallel People’s Summit begins on Wednesday in the Belgian capital, demonstrating the broad scope of solidarity between the regions.

Under this year’s theme of Constructing Alternatives, the People’s Summit will see social movements celebrate social progress in Latin America with more than 1,500 people registered to take part from at least 40 countries.

“The people are rising up to reclaim what is theirs. They realize that an alternative exists to the neo-liberal perspective of the crisis and feel the necessity of sharing experiences and join forces in the fight,” the organizers said in a statement.

The solidarity events get underway with an event of intellectuals followed by a People’s Summit involving lectures, debates and round-table discussions. Themes of the dialogues will include climate change, free trade agreements, and global mass media power.

Another highlight of the event is the solidarity march for Venezuela on Wednesday. The event will close on Thursday with a rally with high profile guests from Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.