Public service broadcasters have a ‘particular role‘ to play in encouraging Europeans to reflect on our shared history and common values through culture.

The view was expressed by European Broadcasting Union Director General Ingrid Deltenre in an op-ed published on the eve of a commemorative concert in Sarajevo by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to be broadcast by television and radio across Europe on Saturday 28 June, with the support of EBU Members BHRT (Bosnia & Herzegovina), France Télévisions and ZDF (Germany). 

The Eurovision-led co-production is set to take place two days after EU heads of state and government attend a special commemoration ceremony in Ypres, Belgium, at the start of the June European Summit.

The setting for the concert is Sarajevo’s national library, where 100 years ago Austro-Hungarian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated setting off a chain of events that embroiled the world's major powers in a war of an unprecedented scale leading to years of turmoil across Europe and beyond.

Mrs Deltenre says the concert casts a spotlight on the incredible transformation Europe has undergone from a theatre of war to a continent, characterised by peace and reconciliation.

“It goes without saying that this is a collective responsibility,” said Mrs Deltenre. “We all have to contribute in our own way. However, certain players have a particular role to play in this type of public reflection. For European public service media organisations, many of whom came into being in the aftermath of war, it goes to the very heart of our raison d’être to keep memories of the past alive and create an open platform for public debate on the challenges of the future.“

Mrs Deltenre says despite signs of Europe’s economic recovery, there is a risk of Europeans becoming increasingly inward-looking and forgetting the lessons of the past – a trend exacerbated by pressures from globalisation and the effects of the financial crisis which has led to mass unemployment particularly among younger generations.

“At a time when the idea of genuine ‘European public space’ is too often discussed in theory only, public service media has a clear role to play in bringing it to life through different means,” she said. “One way of reflecting on our shared history and common values is through culture.”

The concert conducted by Franz Welser-Möst will feature music by composers from Austria, Germany and France: Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Alban Berg, Johannes Brahms, Maurice Ravel and Josef Strauss.

“We have created a musical programme with strong connections to the historical events of 1914 to 1918, to invite the audience remember this era-defining conflict,” said Clemens Hellsberg, President of the VPO.

The Eurovision-led production is the centrepiece to a series of themed projects offered by PSM to mark the events of 1914–1918 and their continued relevance to contemporary European society.