Undaunted by the sharp decline of the dollar against the euro, Buffett, the billionaire investor, arrived on Monday to begin a four-country tour of Europe, with a view toward buying family-owned companies.

''I would rather be doing this with the euro at 90 cents than at $1.50,'' Buffett said in Frankfurt at a crowded news conference at an airport hotel. But ''if we can buy good businesses with good people at a good price, I'm not going to pass it up because I think a currency is too high.''

Buffett said he was making the rounds in a public fashion because he and his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, are less well known in Europe than in the United States, where his homespun letter to shareholders is treated like sacred writ by many investors.

To judge by his reception in Frankfurt, he will find an eager audience in Europe for Berkshire Hathaway, which in Utah owns home furnisher RC Willey and Rocky Mountain Power. His news conference seemed more suited to a rock star, with a large room full of reporters, photographers and TV news crews.

Buffett said he was not shunning investments in the United States, pointing out his role in helping to finance the $23 billion acquisition of Wrigley, the chewing gum maker, by the candy giant, Mars.

But having steered clear of foreign investments for most of his career, Buffett said he viewed Europe as more fertile ground than emerging markets in Asia or elsewhere.

His minimum requirement for acquisitions, he said, was $75 million in pre-tax earnings.

He is to go to Lausanne, Switzerland, today, followed by Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday and Milan, Italy, on Thursday.

Among the German companies thought to be on Buffett's shopping list is Haribo, which makes chewy candies in the shape of teddy bears. As it happened, there were little packets of Haribo bears at the news conference, though Buffett said he knew nothing about the company.

''I like candy in general,'' he said, picking up a packet. ''I'm pretty favorably disposed toward candy.''