diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/BooleanNode.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/BooleanNode.php
index 939e86fa731ab..02bedd8ed4ab2 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/BooleanNode.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/BooleanNode.php
@@ -36,4 +36,13 @@ protected function validateType($value)
             throw $ex;
         }
     }
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritdoc}
+     */
+    protected function isValueEmpty($value)
+    {
+        // a boolean value cannot be empty
+        return false;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/NumericNode.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/NumericNode.php
index 2304ad9987120..439935e4559f8 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/NumericNode.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/NumericNode.php
@@ -52,4 +52,13 @@ protected function finalizeValue($value)
 
         return $value;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritdoc}
+     */
+    protected function isValueEmpty($value)
+    {
+        // a numeric value cannot be empty
+        return false;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/ScalarNode.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/ScalarNode.php
index 44ccfc56b289d..7f29734ac1c61 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/ScalarNode.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/ScalarNode.php
@@ -43,4 +43,12 @@ protected function validateType($value)
             throw $ex;
         }
     }
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritdoc}
+     */
+    protected function isValueEmpty($value)
+    {
+        return null === $value || '' === $value;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/VariableNode.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/VariableNode.php
index d253a00859a7f..b3cd8a3f02acf 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/VariableNode.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Definition/VariableNode.php
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ protected function validateType($value)
      */
     protected function finalizeValue($value)
     {
-        if (!$this->allowEmptyValue && empty($value)) {
+        if (!$this->allowEmptyValue && $this->isValueEmpty($value)) {
             $ex = new InvalidConfigurationException(sprintf(
                 'The path "%s" cannot contain an empty value, but got %s.',
                 $this->getPath(),
@@ -113,4 +113,20 @@ protected function mergeValues($leftSide, $rightSide)
     {
         return $rightSide;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Evaluates if the given value is to be treated as empty.
+     *
+     * By default, PHP's empty() function is used to test for emptiness. This
+     * method may be overridden by subtypes to better match their understanding
+     * of empty data.
+     *
+     * @param mixed $value
+     *
+     * @return bool
+     */
+    protected function isValueEmpty($value)
+    {
+        return empty($value);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/BooleanNodeTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/BooleanNodeTest.php
index 0753d64b4fecc..b0cb079e96fbc 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/BooleanNodeTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/BooleanNodeTest.php
@@ -24,6 +24,19 @@ public function testNormalize($value)
         $this->assertSame($value, $node->normalize($value));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @dataProvider getValidValues
+     *
+     * @param bool $value
+     */
+    public function testValidNonEmptyValues($value)
+    {
+        $node = new BooleanNode('test');
+        $node->setAllowEmptyValue(false);
+
+        $this->assertSame($value, $node->finalize($value));
+    }
+
     public function getValidValues()
     {
         return array(
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/FloatNodeTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/FloatNodeTest.php
index 4f308ca76b77c..84afd6c104223 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/FloatNodeTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/FloatNodeTest.php
@@ -24,6 +24,19 @@ public function testNormalize($value)
         $this->assertSame($value, $node->normalize($value));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @dataProvider getValidValues
+     *
+     * @param int $value
+     */
+    public function testValidNonEmptyValues($value)
+    {
+        $node = new FloatNode('test');
+        $node->setAllowEmptyValue(false);
+
+        $this->assertSame($value, $node->finalize($value));
+    }
+
     public function getValidValues()
     {
         return array(
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/IntegerNodeTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/IntegerNodeTest.php
index 1527db7a70206..58d21485993f1 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/IntegerNodeTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/IntegerNodeTest.php
@@ -24,6 +24,19 @@ public function testNormalize($value)
         $this->assertSame($value, $node->normalize($value));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @dataProvider getValidValues
+     *
+     * @param int $value
+     */
+    public function testValidNonEmptyValues($value)
+    {
+        $node = new IntegerNode('test');
+        $node->setAllowEmptyValue(false);
+
+        $this->assertSame($value, $node->finalize($value));
+    }
+
     public function getValidValues()
     {
         return array(
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/ScalarNodeTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/ScalarNodeTest.php
index 056dd73b0786f..9f8dada086b51 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/ScalarNodeTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Config/Tests/Definition/ScalarNodeTest.php
@@ -57,4 +57,51 @@ public function getInvalidValues()
             array(new \stdClass()),
         );
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @dataProvider getValidNonEmptyValues
+     *
+     * @param mixed $value
+     */
+    public function testValidNonEmptyValues($value)
+    {
+        $node = new ScalarNode('test');
+        $node->setAllowEmptyValue(false);
+
+        $this->assertSame($value, $node->finalize($value));
+    }
+
+    public function getValidNonEmptyValues()
+    {
+        return array(
+            array(false),
+            array(true),
+            array('foo'),
+            array(0),
+            array(1),
+            array(0.0),
+            array(0.1),
+        );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @dataProvider getEmptyValues
+     * @expectedException \Symfony\Component\Config\Definition\Exception\InvalidConfigurationException
+     *
+     * @param mixed $value
+     */
+    public function testNotAllowedEmptyValuesThrowException($value)
+    {
+        $node = new ScalarNode('test');
+        $node->setAllowEmptyValue(false);
+        $node->finalize($value);
+    }
+
+    public function getEmptyValues()
+    {
+        return array(
+            array(null),
+            array(''),
+        );
+    }
 }