Joeb,
No use of running dogs in France and Germany today, in both countries it has been outlawed before the nineteenhundreds. Some illegal lamping there is but nothing like the lamping "culture" in the UK.
Shooting is big in both countries, large areas are managed and have high numbers of gamekeepers or other greensleeves monitoring so it is not very inviting in general.
France does have a lot of packs for hound work.
L.