diff --git a/cmake/EigenTesting.cmake b/cmake/EigenTesting.cmake
index 1637989ad..821bdae56 100644
--- a/cmake/EigenTesting.cmake
+++ b/cmake/EigenTesting.cmake
@@ -37,13 +37,16 @@ macro(ei_add_test_internal testname testname_with_suffix)
   endif()
 
   if(${ARGC} GREATER 3)
-    foreach(lib_to_link ${ARGV3})
-      string(STRIP "${lib_to_link}" lib_to_link_stripped)
-      string(LENGTH "${lib_to_link_stripped}" lib_to_link_stripped_length)
-      if(${lib_to_link_stripped_length} GREATER 0)
-        target_link_libraries(${targetname} "${lib_to_link}")
-      endif()
-    endforeach()
+    set(libs_to_link ${ARGV3})
+    # it could be that some cmake module provides a bad library string " "  (just spaces),
+    # and that severely breaks target_link_libraries ("can't link to -l-lstdc++" errors).
+    # so we check for strings containing only spaces.
+    string(STRIP "${libs_to_link}" libs_to_link_stripped)
+    string(LENGTH "${libs_to_link_stripped}" libs_to_link_stripped_length)
+    if(${libs_to_link_stripped_length} GREATER 0)
+      # notice: no double quotes around ${libs_to_link} here. It may be a list.
+      target_link_libraries(${targetname} ${libs_to_link})
+    endif()
   endif()
 
   if(WIN32)
diff --git a/test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/CMakeLists.txt
index ce1826cb3..507eef31d 100644
--- a/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ if(GSL_FOUND)
   ei_add_property(EIGEN_TESTED_BACKENDS "GSL, ")
 else(GSL_FOUND)
   ei_add_property(EIGEN_MISSING_BACKENDS "GSL, ")
-  set(GSL_LIBRARIES " ")
+  set(GSL_LIBRARIES "")
 endif(GSL_FOUND)
 
 
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ ei_add_test(product_trsolve)
 ei_add_test(product_notemporary)
 ei_add_test(stable_norm)
 ei_add_test(bandmatrix)
-ei_add_test(cholesky " " "${GSL_LIBRARIES}")
+ei_add_test(cholesky "" "${GSL_LIBRARIES}")
 ei_add_test(lu)
 ei_add_test(determinant)
 ei_add_test(inverse)
@@ -87,8 +87,8 @@ ei_add_test(upperbidiagonalization)
 ei_add_test(hessenberg)
 ei_add_test(schur_real)
 ei_add_test(schur_complex)
-ei_add_test(eigensolver_selfadjoint " " "${GSL_LIBRARIES}")
-ei_add_test(eigensolver_generic " " "${GSL_LIBRARIES}")
+ei_add_test(eigensolver_selfadjoint "" "${GSL_LIBRARIES}")
+ei_add_test(eigensolver_generic "" "${GSL_LIBRARIES}")
 ei_add_test(eigensolver_complex)
 ei_add_test(jacobi)
 ei_add_test(jacobisvd)
@@ -106,12 +106,12 @@ ei_add_test(stdlist)
 ei_add_test(stddeque)
 ei_add_test(resize)
 if(QT4_FOUND)
-  ei_add_test(qtvector " " "${QT_QTCORE_LIBRARY}")
+  ei_add_test(qtvector "" "${QT_QTCORE_LIBRARY}")
 endif(QT4_FOUND)
 ei_add_test(sparse_vector)
 ei_add_test(sparse_basic)
 ei_add_test(sparse_product)
-ei_add_test(sparse_solvers " " "${SPARSE_LIBS}")
+ei_add_test(sparse_solvers "" "${SPARSE_LIBS}")
 ei_add_test(umeyama)
 ei_add_test(householder)
 ei_add_test(swap)
diff --git a/unsupported/test/CMakeLists.txt b/unsupported/test/CMakeLists.txt
index 24068b6f6..a96ac72b8 100644
--- a/unsupported/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/unsupported/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ find_package(Adolc)
 if(ADOLC_FOUND)
   include_directories(${ADOLC_INCLUDES})
   ei_add_property(EIGEN_TESTED_BACKENDS "Adolc, ")
-  ei_add_test(forward_adolc " " ${ADOLC_LIBRARIES})
+  ei_add_test(forward_adolc "" ${ADOLC_LIBRARIES})
 else(ADOLC_FOUND)
   ei_add_property(EIGEN_MISSING_BACKENDS "Adolc, ")
 endif(ADOLC_FOUND)
@@ -69,15 +69,15 @@ if(MPFR_FOUND)
   include_directories(${MPFR_INCLUDES})
   ei_add_property(EIGEN_TESTED_BACKENDS "MPFR C++, ")
   set(EIGEN_MPFR_TEST_LIBRARIES ${MPFR_LIBRARIES} ${GMP_LIBRARIES})
-  ei_add_test(mpreal_support " " "${EIGEN_MPFR_TEST_LIBRARIES}" )
+  ei_add_test(mpreal_support "" "${EIGEN_MPFR_TEST_LIBRARIES}" )
 else()
   ei_add_property(EIGEN_MISSING_BACKENDS "MPFR C++, ")
 endif()
 
-ei_add_test(sparse_llt  " " "${SPARSE_LIBS}")
-ei_add_test(sparse_ldlt " " "${SPARSE_LIBS}")
-ei_add_test(sparse_lu   " " "${SPARSE_LIBS}")
-ei_add_test(sparse_extra   " " " ")
+ei_add_test(sparse_llt  "" "${SPARSE_LIBS}")
+ei_add_test(sparse_ldlt "" "${SPARSE_LIBS}")
+ei_add_test(sparse_lu   "" "${SPARSE_LIBS}")
+ei_add_test(sparse_extra   "" "")
 
 find_package(FFTW)
 if(FFTW_FOUND)