2008 in the Netherlands
This article lists some of the events that took place in the Netherlands in 2008.
Incumbents
- Monarch: Beatrix
- Prime Minister: Jan Peter Balkenende
Events
January
- January 1: Wim Deetman resigns as mayor of The Hague.
- January 12: Two soldiers of Task Force Uruzgan, Lance Corporal Aldert Poortema and Private First Class Wesley School, both of the Regiment Infanterie Johan Willem Friso, are killed in Uruzgan, Afghanistan
- January 15: Farshad Bashir of the Socialist Party is sworn in as member of the House of Representatives, becoming the youngest member in history.
- January 26: Bishop Wim Eijk of Groningen-Leeuwarden is installed as Archbishop of Utrecht.
February
- February 3: Joran van der Sloot is unmasked in a high-profile TV-episode, made by Peter R. de Vries, about the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.
May
June
- 4: The rebuilt Wilms' Boô is officially opened by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands.
- Undated:
- * Sweet Empire, punk rock band from the Amsterdam is formed.
July
- 1: Most exceptions on the smoking ban are dropped.
- 10: The movie Hoe overleef ik mezelf? gets a Gouden Film for getting 100.000 visitors.
September
- 24: Beginning of the Netherlands Film Festival.
- 28: Fortis is partially nationalized by The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg whom together get 49% of the stocks in their control.
- 30: The Gouden Griffel for the best children-book goes to Jan Paul Schutten for his book Children of Amsterdam.
October
- 3: The Dutch branch of Fortis becomes completely nationalized and taken over by the Dutch government.
- 5: Huge fire in a shopping mall in Spijkenisse.
- 8: The Maasvlakte Light is deactivated.
- 11: TV presenter Ernst-Paul Hasselbach dies together with a female Belgian colleague in a traffic accident in Norway.
November
- 14: Domino Day 2008 is held in Leeuwarden, Friesland.
Sports
- January 1: Koninklijke HFC win the traditional New Year's match against former international footballers 6–1.
- January 2: The Federatie Eredivisie Basketball of the Netherlands Basketball Association takes BC Omniworld of Almere out of the Eredivisie. The club had gone into administration.
- January 4: Jermo Ribbers, a member of the Dutch national youth ski jumping team, dies after a fall following a jump in Oberstdorf, Germany.
- March 26–30 Netherlands at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
- July 3–6 Netherlands at the 2008 European Road Championships
- August 8–24 Netherlands at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- September 3–7 Netherlands at the 2008 UEC European Track Championships
- September 6–17 Netherlands at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
Deaths
January
- January 1: Dirk van Egmond, 54, journalist for Veronica, KRO, Omroep Flevoland, TROS, AVRO and RTL Veronique.
- January 4: Anton P. de Graaff, 79, author
- January 28: Ginty Vrede, Surinamese-Dutch kick-boxer
February
- February 7: Benny Neyman, 56, singer
- February 22: Henk Bruna, 91, businessman, founder of the Bruna retail chain
March
April
- April 6: Jeu Sprengers, 69, chairman of the Royal Dutch Football Association
August
- August 14: Percy Irausquin, 39, fashion designer.