France, May 14 -- The report, compiled by Green MP Alexis Corbiere, 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.

Corbiere argues in the report that "safety and security issues" were "pushed into the background, behind objectives of prestige and infl...