I can't speak for Germany or England, but I have been flying in France
for many years now. The basic requirements are a valid U.S. glider
license and a Class 3 Medical certificate. You need to mail these off
to the French licensing authority at least three months before you
plan to fly, along with some money, a photocopy of the last page of
your logbook showing your total hours, and a passport photo. One or
two months later you get a French license good for one year in the
mail.

If you are not that organized, you can show up at the French National
Soaring Center at St Auban with the same documents and your logbook
and they will issue you a license on the spot. Of course some money
exchanges hands in the process.

I do not know if the license issued in France is valid in any other EU
country. However, flying out of St Auban we fly over Italy and
Switzerland on a regular basis. No worries.

Guy Acheson "DDS"