France's court of auditors urged the Louvre museum to speed up its security modernisation plans as a priority, in a report conducted before the October jewel heist that noted major delays in the renovation of the world's most-visited museum.

Thursday's report by the Cour des Comptes comes after a series of failings and security issues came to light following the robbery of $US102 million ($A157 million) worth of crown jewels that shocked the world.

The thieves used a truck-mounted basket lift to reach a window of the Apollo Gallery and fled with the trove within minutes.

The report, focusing on the 2018-24 period, said the museum's investments prioritised "visible and attractive operations" such as buying new pieces of art and improving visitor experience.

That was "at the expense of t

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