José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain's acting prime minister, yesterday promised emergency measures to reactivate a faltering economy, triggered by the sudden collapse of construction activity after a 10-year property boom.

Outlining his government's priorities for the next four years, Mr Zapatero told parliament he would speed up government infrastructure projects such as high-speed train links, promote more state-subsidised housing and extend government guarantees for some mortgage securitisations. Property developers with unsold stock would be able to place their empty homes with a state rental agency, and there would be retraining schemes for tens of thousands of unemployed construction workers.