June 11, 2015
On June 11, 1,500 strong ‘Summit of the People’ in Brussels brought progressives together from 23 countries across Europe to meet with powerful social movements from Latin America to learn lessons on how to end austerity in Europe, to build united pressure for an ambitious binding global climate deal in Paris and to oppose western interventions into Latin America.
The event was is held alongside the second heads of state summit of the EU and CELAC – the regional body for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Summit of the People filled the large Passage 44 conference center in central Brussels involving 346 different organizations from a total of 43 countries across Europe and Latin America.
The event was addressed by Aleida Guevara, daughter of Ché; Daniel V Ortega deputy national coordinator for CELAC and Ecuador’s chief negotiator; and academics, NGOs, artists and trade unionists from across Europe and from Latin America.
Discussion sessions focused on the urgent action needed on climate change and environmental justice; organizing to challenge austerity and defend social protection; opposition to neo-liberal free trade agreements and supporting new fair trade between the regions; disrupting the power of corporate media; opposition to Western interventions and sanctions against Latin American countries; and supporting powerful new regional integration and unity through CELAC and amongst progressive networks in Europe.
This is the first time a People’s Summit has been held alongside the bi-annual CELAC -EU heads of state summit but it is the tradition of increasingly large and influential People’s Summits alongside other international summits and UN climate talks. It comes at a key time for Europe when social movements and parties of the left are starting to gain mass support and winning important elections including the Tsipras government in Greece, the recent success of the Left List across Spain, and strong polling for left parties in Portugal and Ireland amongst others. In Latin America, major countries of the CELAC – such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Cuba, but also Uruguay and Argentina – are attempting to implement alternative development and social policies, with a direct link to their social movements which is transforming the lives of tens of millions of people and providing inspiration to people across Europe and beyond.
Source: Cuba Socialist Initiative