Hi
So, I've searched around on the forums and I've found some solutions that worked for a few people. There are several on this page here: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/320299.page. I would post the solutions here but there seem to be quite a few.
Welcome to the Answer HQ!
I've tried everything that has been suggested in that forum post. Nothing has solved the issue. I can see from that forum post that I am not the only one who has had this issue with no resolve. I think the most recent post to that forum topic says it best:
"Hey EA, I think you broke the record for having the largest core game bug for the most amount of time. Two years on a bug that prevents you from playing in France, 1 of the 3 locations in the whole expansion? Despicable. Worthless. And irritating.
Most people bought the expansion already, so EA doesn't care one bit. Lousy, no-good developers."
