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Over the past five years, foreign takeovers of U.S. companies have steadily risen. Among the more notable: Swiss pharmaceutical maker Novartis’ $39 billion staggered buyout of Alcon, the world leader in eye care; British energy distributor National Grid’s takeover of utility KeySpan Corp. for $11.8 billion; Saudi Arabian petrochemical company SABIC’s acquisition of GE’s plastics division for $11.6 billion; and Italian aerospace company Finmeccanica’s pending takeover of the U.S. military contractor DRS Technologies in a $5.2 billion deal. Some 55% of foreign direct investment in the U.S. came from the Old Country last year, with extra impetus now coming from its currency advantage. Says Scévole de Cazotte, senior policy director for Europe at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “European companies are very much conscious of the potential windfall. You buy cheap now with the belief that in 10 years the currency will have rebounded.”

Infrastructure is a prime example. Barcelona-based Abertis has been buying up airport-operation contracts from Atlanta and Burbank, Calif., among others, and a variety of service contracts in tele communications and parking garages. Now it is seeking a $12.8 billion deal to operate the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but the state legislature has balked. The road to growth leads to the U.S., says Abertis spokesman Toni Brunet, who notes that states and municipalities have lagged behind European public entities in privatization. “In terms of infrastructure, the U.S. is an emerging market,” says Brunet.

Indeed, European infrastructure firms calculate that the U.S. needs a massive infusion of capital to modernize its roads, bridges and power lines, highlighted by a recent spate of blackouts and the tragic collapse of a Minneapolis highway bridge last year. Steve Lucas, cfo of British power utility National Grid, says estimates are that the U.S. will spend $2 trillion in the next two decades upgrading electricity and gas infrastructure. “That’s bigger than China,” he notes.