Events from the year 2020 in the Netherlands.

Incumbents

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beatri ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

: Mark Rutte * Speaker of the House of Representatives: Khadija Arib *

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...

Jan Anthonie Bruijn Jan Anthonie Bruijn (born 7 February 1958) is a Dutch politician and physician serving as President of the Senate since 2 July 2019. A member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), he has been a member of the Senate since 6 Nove ...

Ongoing

* COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands

Events

March

*19 March – Medical Care Minister Bruno Bruins (

VVD The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...

) resigns because of exhaustion in the midst of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Martin van Rijn Maarten Johannes "Martin" van Rijn (born 7 February 1956) is a Dutch politician and businessman who served as Minister for Medical Care from March to July 2020. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he previously was CEO and Chairman of the Rein ...

, a former State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport for the Labour Party, is appointed to temporarily succeed him as an Independent; Tamara van Ark (

) takes over on 9 July. *21 March –

Tunahan Kuzu Tunahan Kuzu (born 5 June 1981) is a Turkey, Turkish-born Netherlands, Dutch politician. He is a former member of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA). He has been an House of Representatives (Netherlands), MP since 20 September 201 ...

resigns as Leader of

Denk Denk may refer to: People *Jeremy Denk (born 1970), American classical pianist * Michael K. Denk, Canadian professor of chemistry * Paula Denk (1908–1978), German actress *Ralph Denk (born 1973), German cyclist and cycling manager *Ulrike Denk ( ...

, triggering an internal crisis.

Farid Azarkan Farid Azarkan (born 16 October 1971) is a Moroccan-born Dutch politician serving as Leader of DENK since 26 September 2020. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 23 March 2017 and parliamentary leader since 21 March 2020. Azar ...

succeeds him on 26 September.

April

*30 April – Forum for Democracy (FvD) forms a coalition with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...

(VVD) in

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the we ...

. It is the first time the party could be formally part of a regional authority.

May

*3 May –

Henk Krol Henricus Cornelis Maria "Henk" Krol (; born 1 April 1950) is a Dutch journalist, publisher, entrepreneur, activist and politician. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 10 September 2014. He used to be the leader of 50PLUS, ...

and

Femke Merel van Kooten Femke Merel van Kooten-Arissen (born 9 November 1983) is a Dutch politician and former member of the House of Representatives. She was first elected in the 2017 general election, in which she stood as a member of the Party for the Animals (Pa ...

found the short-lived Party for the Future (PvdT), led by Representative

and chaired by Senator

Henk Otten Henk Otten (born 30 May 1967) is a Dutch politician and economist. He has been a member of the Senate since June 2019. He was the co-founder of the party Forum for Democracy (FvD) along with Thierry Baudet. He served as FvD treasurer from 2016 to ...

. It was dissolved the following 18 October and succeeded by Group Otten and the Henk Krol List. *12 – 16 May – The

Eurovision Song Contest 2020 The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The con ...

was scheduled to be held in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, but was cancelled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. '' Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light'' takes place in

Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hilvers ...

instead. *22 May – Hooghalen train crash.

June

*1 June – A

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

protest on

Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. Location and description ...

is authorised by Amsterdam Mayor

Femke Halsema Femke Halsema (; born 25 April 1966) is a Dutch politician and filmmaker. On 27 June 2018, she was appointed Mayor of Amsterdam and began serving a six-year term on 12 July 2018. She is the first woman to hold the position on a non-interim basi ...

but authorities fail to enforce COVID-19 social distancing rules, prompting calls for her resignation.

July

*1 July –

Jan van Zanen Jan Hendrikus Cornelis van Zanen (born 4 September 1961) is a Dutch politician who has served as Mayor of The Hague since 1 July 2020. A member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), he previously served as Mayor of Utrecht (2014 ...

(

) succeeds

Johan Remkes Johannes Wijnandus "Johan" Remkes (born 15 June 1951) is a Dutch politician and nonprofit director who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 2002 to 2003 under Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. He is a member of the People's ...

(

) as

Mayor of the Hague Below is a list of mayors of The Hague since it was decided in 1824 that only one mayor at a time would govern the city. List 1824–1956 1957–present : : : : See also * Timeline of The Hague References {{Reflist The Hague The H ...

. Peter den Oudsten ( PvdA) becomes Acting Mayor of Utrecht; Sharon Dijksma ( PvdA) succeeds him on 16 December. *15 July – Deputy Prime Minister Hugo de Jonge defeats Pieter Omtzigt for the position of Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal. *20 July – A

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

NHIndustries NH90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a medium-sized, twin-engine, multi-role military helicopter. It was developed in response to NATO requirements for a battlefield helicopter which would also be capable of being operated in naval environments. The NH90 ...

helicopter crashes in the Caribbean Sea near

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...

. Two officers aboard are killed.

September

A group of Dutch officials demanded answers from

Pete Hoekstra Cornelis Piet "Pete" Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously ser ...

the

United States Ambassador to the Netherlands The United States diplomatic mission to the Netherlands consists of the embassy located in The Hague and a consular office located in Amsterdam. In 1782, John Adams was appointed America's first Minister Plenipotentiary to Holland. According t ...

in response to reports that he had hosted a fund-raising event at the U.S. embassy for the far-right Dutch political party Forum for Democracy, a potential violation of international law. This is not the first time Hoekstra has been associated with the far-right party. In May 2020, Hoekstra was interviewed by the leader of the party's video channel and he was also a guest speaker at the party's conference November 2019. *4 September ** Sigrid Kaag becomes

Leader of the Democrats 66 The Party leader, Leader of the Democrats 66 is the most senior politician within the Democrats 66 ( nl, Democraten 66, D66) in the Netherlands. The post is currently held by Sigrid Kaag who was elected on 4 September 2020 and who has been the se ...

. ** Geert Wilders party leader of

Party for Freedom The Party for Freedom ( nl, Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) is a nationalist, right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man faction in the House of Representatives, it won nine ...

and anti Islam activist is cleared of inciting hatred by a court.

October

*1 October –

Marjan Rintel Marjan may refer to: Places * Marjan, Croatia, Croatia, a hill on the peninsula of the city of Split * Marjan, Albania, a village in the Gorë municipality, Korçë District, Albania * Marjan, Alborz, a village in Iran * Marjan, Fars, a village ...

is set to succeed

Roger van Boxtel Roger Henri Ludovic Maria van Boxtel (born 8 February 1954) is a retired Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and businessman. Van Boxtel attended a Keizer Karel Gymnasium in Amstelveen from April 1966 until May 1973 and applied at ...

as CEO of

Nederlandse Spoorwegen Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and the ...

(NS). Ina Adema is set to succeed

Wim van de Donk Wilhelmus Bernhard Henricus Josephus "Wim" van de Donk (born 17 May 1962) is a Dutch former politician and former academic, who served as the King's Commissioner of North Brabant from 1 October 2009 to 1 October 2020. He is a member of the Chri ...

as the King's Commissioner of

November

* 20 November – Joseph "Jos" Brech is convicted of the kidnapping and sexual abuse that led to the death of Nicky Verstappen in 1998.

December

* 1 December – After a long discussion, Buba (elephant) could stay in the Netherlands.

Deaths

January

*1 January –

Jaap Schröder Jaap Schröder or Jaap Schroeder (31 December 1925 – 1 January 2020) was a Dutch violinist, conductor, and pedagogue. He studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory and at the Sorbonne in France. In the 1960s he was a member of the Dutch early music ...

, violinist and conductor (b. 1925). *9 January – Rudolf de Korte, Dutch politician,

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

, 1986–1989, Minister of Economic Affairs, 1986–1989 (b. 1936). *12 January – Aart Staartjes, actor ('' De Stratemakeropzeeshow'', ''

Sesamstraat ''Sesamstraat'' () is a Dutch television series in the Netherlands, and a spin-off of the U.S. children's program ''Sesame Street''. In its early days the show was broadcast in Flanders (Belgium) as well. It is the second longest-running foreign ...

'', ''

Pinkeltje ''Pinkeltje'' (known in English as Fingerling) is a fictional character from the eponymous children's book series by the Dutch writer Dick Laan. Pinkeltje is a white-bearded gnome and wears a pointed hat and is as big as a pinky finger, hence its ...

'') and television presenter (b. 1938). *24 January – Rob Rensenbrink, Dutch footballer (b. 1947).

February

*29 February – Herman Redemeijer, Dutch politician (b. 1930).

July

*10 July –

Lara van Ruijven Lara Victoria van Ruijven (; 28 December 1992 10 July 2020) was a Dutch short track speed skater. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she was part of the Dutch 3000 metres relay team that won a bronze medal. She won gold at the World Championships ...

, Dutch speed skater (b. 1992). *30 July – Maarten Biesheuvel, writer (b. 1939).

December

*19 December - Bram van der Vlugt, Dutch actor.

References

{{Year in Europe, 2020 2020s in the Netherlands Years of the 21st century in the Netherlands

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...