diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bridge/Doctrine/DependencyInjection/CompilerPass/RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPass.php b/src/Symfony/Bridge/Doctrine/DependencyInjection/CompilerPass/RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPass.php
index a2081a3fd6..bbad4abe0e 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bridge/Doctrine/DependencyInjection/CompilerPass/RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPass.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bridge/Doctrine/DependencyInjection/CompilerPass/RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPass.php
@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@ class RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPass implements CompilerPassInterface
 
             uasort($subscribers, $sortFunc);
             foreach ($subscribers as $id => $instance) {
+                if ($container->getDefinition($id)->isAbstract()) {
+                    throw new \InvalidArgumentException(sprintf('The abstract service "%s" cannot be tagged as a doctrine event subscriber.', $id));
+                }
+
                 $em->addMethodCall('addEventSubscriber', array(new Reference($id)));
             }
         }
@@ -78,6 +82,10 @@ class RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPass implements CompilerPassInterface
 
             uasort($listeners, $sortFunc);
             foreach ($listeners as $id => $instance) {
+                if ($container->getDefinition($id)->isAbstract()) {
+                    throw new \InvalidArgumentException(sprintf('The abstract service "%s" cannot be tagged as a doctrine event listener.', $id));
+                }
+
                 $em->addMethodCall('addEventListener', array(
                     array_unique($instance['event']),
                     isset($instance['lazy']) && $instance['lazy'] ? $id : new Reference($id),
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bridge/Doctrine/Tests/DependencyInjection/CompilerPass/RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPassTest.php b/src/Symfony/Bridge/Doctrine/Tests/DependencyInjection/CompilerPass/RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPassTest.php
index e096de2e4b..24fbcdc9a6 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bridge/Doctrine/Tests/DependencyInjection/CompilerPass/RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPassTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bridge/Doctrine/Tests/DependencyInjection/CompilerPass/RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPassTest.php
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ namespace Symfony\Bridge\Doctrine\Tests\DependencyInjection\CompilerPass;
 
 use Symfony\Bridge\Doctrine\DependencyInjection\CompilerPass\RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPass;
 use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerBuilder;
+use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\Definition;
 
 class RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPassTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
 {
@@ -23,6 +24,38 @@ class RegisterEventListenersAndSubscribersPassTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_Te
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @expectedException InvalidArgumentException
+     */
+    public function testExceptionOnAbstractTaggedSubscriber()
+    {
+        $container = $this->createBuilder();
+
+        $abstractDefinition = new Definition('stdClass');
+        $abstractDefinition->setAbstract(true);
+        $abstractDefinition->addTag('doctrine.event_subscriber');
+
+        $container->setDefinition('a', $abstractDefinition);
+
+        $this->process($container);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @expectedException InvalidArgumentException
+     */
+    public function testExceptionOnAbstractTaggedListener()
+    {
+        $container = $this->createBuilder();
+
+        $abstractDefinition = new Definition('stdClass');
+        $abstractDefinition->setAbstract(true);
+        $abstractDefinition->addTag('doctrine.event_listener', array('event' => 'test'));
+
+        $container->setDefinition('a', $abstractDefinition);
+
+        $this->process($container);
+    }
+
     public function testProcessEventListenersWithPriorities()
     {
         $container = $this->createBuilder();