France spends €30mn on museum protection, but culture minister says money can’t buy security
In response to a spate of headline-grabbing thefts that revealed cracks in heritage protection, France is set to pour €30 million ($35 million) over the next three years into fortifying security at its museums and cultural landmarks.
Culture Minister Catherine Pegard has unveiled a national security plan designed to boost surveillance, tighten inspections, enhance staff training and sharpen emergency responses at museums nationwide. The measures aim to outsmart increasingly sophisticated thieves who have set their sights on priceless artworks and historical treasures.
The plan comes on the back of the theft of the 2,500-year-old gold torque of the Lady of Vix from the Musee du Pays Chatillonnais on 24 July. Two thieves posing as visitors broke into a display case during opening hours and escaped with the priceless Celtic artefact despite heightened security at the museum.
Security under scrutiny
The latest robbery came less than a year after thieves stole French Crown Jewels worth more than $100 million from the Apollo Gallery at the Louvre in Paris.
The October 2025 heist prompted a nationwide review of museum security after investigators uncovered gaps in surveillance and protection at France’s most visited museum. The Apollo Gallery reopened last week, but the remaining jewels have been moved elsewhere and are no longer on display.
Since the Louvre heist on 19 October 2025, more than 3,100 museums, monuments and churches have been mapped as sensitive places, Pegard said at the press briefing. However, «there is no risk zero», the minister admitted.
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