diff --git a/src/etc/poms/ant-jdepend/pom.xml b/src/etc/poms/ant-jdepend/pom.xml
index 208015857..1ed253503 100644
--- a/src/etc/poms/ant-jdepend/pom.xml
+++ b/src/etc/poms/ant-jdepend/pom.xml
@@ -73,6 +73,10 @@
           <basedir>../../../..</basedir>
           <workingDirectory>../../../..</workingDirectory>
           <systemProperties>
+            <property>
+              <name>build.tests.value</name>
+              <value>${project.basedir}/../../../../target/${project.artifactId}/testcases</value>
+            </property>
             <property>
               <name>ant.test.basedir.ignore</name>
               <value>true</value>
diff --git a/src/etc/poms/ant/pom.xml b/src/etc/poms/ant/pom.xml
index 3acd17c67..15ffeb7c0 100644
--- a/src/etc/poms/ant/pom.xml
+++ b/src/etc/poms/ant/pom.xml
@@ -162,8 +162,6 @@
             <exclude>org/apache/tools/ant/listener/Log4jListener*</exclude>
             <!-- obsolete -->
             <exclude>org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/AbstractCvs*</exclude>
-            <!-- ERROR: failed to create task2 -->
-            <exclude>org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Antlib*</exclude>
             <!-- ERROR: "default value" when javac cannot cross-compile to Java 5 -->
             <exclude>org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Javac*</exclude>
             <!-- see XsltTest -->
diff --git a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/initializeclass.xml b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/initializeclass.xml
index 6e079919a..b71abe27c 100644
--- a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/initializeclass.xml
+++ b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/initializeclass.xml
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
   <target name="forked">
     <java fork="true" output="forkedout" failonerror="true"
           className="org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.dir1.B">
-
       <classpath>
-        <pathelement path="../../../../build/testcases"/>
-        <pathelement location="${java.home}/lib/classes.zip" />
+        <pathelement path="${build.tests.value}"/>
+        <pathelement location="${java.home}/lib/classes.zip"/>
       </classpath>
     </java>
   </target>
@@ -33,8 +32,8 @@
   <target name="unforked">
     <java className="org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.dir1.B">
       <classpath>
-        <pathelement path="../../../../build/testcases"/>
-        <pathelement location="${java.home}/lib/classes.zip" />
+        <pathelement path="${build.tests.value}"/>
+        <pathelement location="${java.home}/lib/classes.zip"/>
       </classpath>
     </java>
   </target>
diff --git a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/optional/jdepend/jdepend.xml b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/optional/jdepend/jdepend.xml
index 8418226b6..3dbcadf68 100644
--- a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/optional/jdepend/jdepend.xml
+++ b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/optional/jdepend/jdepend.xml
@@ -16,19 +16,17 @@
   limitations under the License.
 -->
 <project>
-  <property name="testclasses" location="../../../../../../build/testcases"/>
-  
   <path id="all-test-classes.id">
-    <pathelement location="../../../../build/testcases" />
-    <pathelement path="${java.class.path}" />
+    <pathelement location="${build.tests.value}"/>
+    <pathelement path="${java.class.path}"/>
   </path>
 
   <path id="example-classes.id">
-    <pathelement location="${testclasses}/org/apache/tools/ant/util/facade" />
+    <pathelement location="${build.tests.value}/org/apache/tools/ant/util/facade"/>
   </path>
 
   <path id="test-classes.id">
-    <pathelement location="${testclasses}" />
+    <pathelement location="${build.tests.value}"/>
   </path>
 
   <target name="simple">
@@ -66,5 +64,4 @@
       <classespath refid="example-classes.id"/>
     </jdepend>
   </target>
-
-</project>
\ No newline at end of file
+</project>
diff --git a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/xmlns.xml b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/xmlns.xml
index e69916610..c5703b8eb 100644
--- a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/xmlns.xml
+++ b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/xmlns.xml
@@ -17,19 +17,18 @@
 -->
 <project name="test" xmlns:other="this is the other uri"
          other:attr="this should be ignored by ant">
-
-  <property name="testcases.dir" location="../../../../build/testcases"/>
+  <property name="testcases.dir" location="${build.tests.value}"/>
 
   <path id="testclasses">
-    <pathelement location="${testcases.dir}" />
-    <pathelement path="${java.class.path}" />
+    <pathelement location="${testcases.dir}"/>
+    <pathelement path="${java.class.path}"/>
   </path>
 
   <target name="xmlns" xmlns:test="this.is.another.test.uri">
     <typedef classname="org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.XmlnsTest$MyTask"
              classpathref="testclasses"
              name="mytask"
-             uri="this.is.another.test.uri" />
+             uri="this.is.another.test.uri"/>
     <test:mytask/>
   </target>
 
@@ -46,22 +45,20 @@
   <target name="xmlns.file" xmlns:test="this.is.a.test.uri">
     <typedef file="test.antlib.xml"
              classpathref="testclasses"
-             uri="this.is.a.test.uri" />
+             uri="this.is.a.test.uri"/>
     <test:mytask/>
   </target>
 
   <target name="core">
     <typedef file="test.antlib.xml"
              classpathref="testclasses"
-             uri="antlib:org.apache.tools.ant" />
+             uri="antlib:org.apache.tools.ant"/>
     <mytask/>
   </target>
 
   <target name="excluded">
     <typedef file="test.antlib.xml"
              classpathref="testclasses"
-             uri="ant:notallowed" />
+             uri="ant:notallowed"/>
   </target>
-
-
-</project>
\ No newline at end of file
+</project>