Security concerns at the Louvre were repeatedly sidelined in favour of prestige projects and rising visitor numbers, according to a parliamentary report to be presented on Thursday which calls for sweeping reforms in France’s museum sector.
The report, compiled by Green MP Alexis Corbière, follows a parliamentary inquiry launched after the spectacular burglary at the Louvre on 19 October last year, when royal jewels worth an estimated €88 million were stolen in broad daylight.
The theft exposed major security shortcomings at the museum, which attracts 9 million visitors a year.
The inquiry committee, chaired by conservative MP Alexandre Portier, conducted around 20 hearings and round-table discussions, interviewing more than 100 people and carrying out visits in France and abroad before finalising its conclusions.
Corbière argues in the report that “safety and security issues” were “pushed into the background, behind objectives of prestige and influence, which were treated as priorities”.
His findings echo earlier criticism from the French Court of Auditors and an administrative inquiry published in late 2025.
The report says warnings about outdated security systems had been raised in previous audits, including a 2017 review and another conducted by jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels in 2019.
Despite this, implementation of the Louvre’s security equipment master plan reportedly fell more than two years behind schedule.
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More transparent leadership
A central theme of the report is the governance of major French cultural institutions. Corbière accuses the Ministry of Culture of failing to exercise proper oversight of management decisions at the Louvre and other museums.
According to the report, part of the problem lies in the current appointment system, under which museum directors are chosen by presidential decree from the Elysée Palace.
Corbière proposes replacing that system with a more transparent process in which directors would be elected by boards that include parliamentarians and other representatives.
He says such reforms would help move France away from what he describes as a culture of presidential “high-handedness”.
The criticism also extends to the tenure of former Louvre president Laurence Des Cars, who led the institution from 2021 until February this year, when she was replaced by Christophe Leribault.
Corbière insists that security issues were “not a priority” for the previous management, despite their denials.
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Doubts over expansion
Among the report’s 40 recommendations is a call for increased funding for the museum security fund, established after the burglary by former culture minister Rachida Dati.
The fund currently has a budget of €30 million, but the report argues that more investment is needed to modernise security systems across France’s museums.
It also calls for a major expansion of the Ministry of Culture’s Security, Safety and Audit Unit, noting that only three full-time staff currently oversee security monitoring for more than 1,200 museums across the country.
Other proposals include recruiting more permanent security officers, reducing reliance on contract workers and improving pay in an effort to make the profession more attractive.
The report additionally questions the “Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance” project announced in 2025 by President Emmanuel Macron. This initiative includes major renovations and plans for a new dedicated space for the Mona Lisa, alongside ambitions to increase annual attendance to up to 15 million visitors.
Corbière argues that such targets risk worsening overcrowding and placing further strain on both the historic building and the museum staff.
Nonetheless, supporters of the inquiry say the scandal has created an opportunity to modernise the management and protection of France’s museums – with the Louvre now under intense pressure to restore public confidence.
(with newswires)
