2014 in the Netherlands

Incumbents

• Monarch: William-Alexander
• Prime Minister: Mark Rutte

  Events

January

• 1: The drinking age is lifted up from 16 to 18 years of age, causing 16 year-olds in the Netherlands to go into mourning.
• 1: Darts-player Michael van Gerwen wins the PDC World Darts Championship by beating Peter Wright in the final with 7-4.
• 17: The minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp presents in Groningen the Gas-accord that was struck by the government, province and NAM. The natural gas extraction in Loppersum will be reduced with 80% to decrease the chance of earthquakes. Groningen will be compensated for damage caused by the gas extraction.

  February

• 10: Former-minister Els Borst is found dead in her house in Bilthoven. The autopsy proves that a criminal act ended her life.

  March

• 10: Passports and ID-cards are from now on valid for 10 years. Also ID-cards no longer require fingerprints.
• 13: After years of construction the renewed Rotterdam Centraal railway station is opened by King Willem-Alexander.
• 19: Remarks of the Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders about too many Moroccans in The Hague and the rest of the country are broadly condemned. In the following days politicians Roland van Vliet and Joram van Klaveren amongst others decide to leave the party. Many people also file reports against his remarks at police offices.
• 24-25: The 2014 Nuclear Security Summit is held in The Hague.
• 25: The University Medical Center Utrecht announces that on November 19, 2013 a 22-year-old woman got a complete plastic skull implanted. The artificial skull is created with the help of a 3D-printer.

  April

• 7: Friar Frans van der Lugt is murdered in Homs, Syria by radical Muslim terrorists.

  May

• 2: Probation is given to Pim Fortuyn's murderer Volkert van der Graaf, after serving 2/3 of his 18 prison term. He needs to wear an ankle bracelet and is forbidden to access Rotterdam, Hilversum and Driehuis-Westerveld
• 24-31: The Toppers celebrate their 10-year jubilee with 4 concerts in the Amsterdam ArenA.

  June

• 3: Explosions and fire at a complex of Royal Dutch Shell in the Moerdijk harbor- and industrial area, 2 people end up injured.
• 24-25: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima go to Poland for their first official state visit.

  July

• 9: The paper train ticket is abolished.
• 17: Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crashed after having been shot down by air-surface missile near Torez in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, killing all 300 people on board including 193 Dutch people.

  August

September

• Haaksbergen monstertruck accident:
• *On 28 September 2014 a monster truck crashed in Haaksbergen into the attending crowd. Three visitors have been reported dead, amongst them one child. According to Hans Gerritsen, the mayor of Haaksbergen, twelve people have been injured.

  October

November

• 2014 Amsterdam drug deaths:
• *On 25 November two British tourists aged 20 and 21 died in a hotel room in Amsterdam, after snorting white heroin that was sold as cocaine by a street dealer. The bodies were found less than a month after another British tourist died in similar circumstances. At least 17 other people have had medical treatment after taking the white heroin.

  December

Elections

• 2014 Dutch municipal election

  Sports

• February 7–23 Netherlands at the 2014 Winter Olympics
• March 7–16 Netherlands at the 2014 Winter Paralympics

• April 6: Ellen van Dijk wins the Tour of Flanders, a women's road cycling World Cup race.
• July 10–13 Netherlands at the 2014 European Road Championships
• August 12–17 Netherlands at the 2014 European Athletics Championships
• August 23 - September 7 Netherlands at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games
• August 16 - August 28 Netherlands at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics
• September 21–28 Netherlands at the 2014 UCI Road World Championships