diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 5050e4b9eb..519aacaf2d 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -396,6 +396,12 @@ fi
 AC_SUBST(GST_PLUGIN_LIBTOOLFLAGS)
 AM_CONDITIONAL(GST_PLUGIN_BUILD_STATIC, test "x$enable_static_plugins" = "xyes")
 
+dnl If only building static libraries, define GST_STATIC_COMPILATION. This is
+dnl needed only on Windows, but it doesn't hurt to have it everywhere.
+if test x$enable_static = xyes -a x$enable_shared = xno; then
+  GST_STATIC_CFLAGS="-DGST_STATIC_COMPILATION"
+fi
+
 # set by AG_GST_PARSE_SUBSYSTEM_DISABLES above
 dnl make sure it doesn't complain about unused variables if debugging is disabled
 NO_WARNINGS=""
@@ -801,7 +807,7 @@ AC_SUBST(GST_PLUGINS_BASE_CFLAGS)
 
 dnl FIXME: do we want to rename to GST_ALL_* ?
 dnl add GST_OPTION_CFLAGS, but overridable
-GST_CFLAGS="$GST_CFLAGS"
+GST_CFLAGS="$GST_CFLAGS $GST_STATIC_CFLAGS"
 GST_CXXFLAGS="$GLIB_CFLAGS $GST_CFLAGS \$(GLIB_EXTRA_CFLAGS) \$(GST_OPTION_CXXFLAGS)"
 GST_CFLAGS="$GLIB_CFLAGS $GST_CFLAGS \$(GLIB_EXTRA_CFLAGS) \$(GST_OPTION_CFLAGS)"
 AC_SUBST(GST_CFLAGS)