diff --git a/gitlab/functions.sh b/gitlab/functions.sh
index 0ba0a09e5905f0fd618193e7a7dd49511e510271..1bc4c7029d64e6e829904dd7539c6d5183e64004 100644
--- a/gitlab/functions.sh
+++ b/gitlab/functions.sh
@@ -31,7 +31,19 @@ check_env() {
     log_error "Variable ${1} is undefined - aborting...";
     exit 1
   else
-    log_info "\${${1}}=${!1}";
+    log_info "${1}=${!1}";
+  fi
+}
+
+
+# Exports a given environment variable, verbosely
+export_env() {
+  if [ -z "${!1}" ]; then
+    log_error "Variable ${1} is undefined - aborting...";
+    exit 1
+  else
+    export ${1}
+    log_info "export ${1}=${!1}";
   fi
 }
 
@@ -199,18 +211,12 @@ TESTSERVER=https://testpypi.python.org/pypi
 check_env ARCH
 check_env PYVER
 check_env PREFIX
-check_env CFLAGS
-check_env CXXFLAGS
+export_env CFLAGS
+export_env CXXFLAGS
 check_env DOCSERVER
 check_env PYPISERVER
 check_env TESTSERVER
 check_env CONDA_FOLDER
 check_env CONDA_PREFIX
-check_env BOB_PREFIX_PATH
-check_env BOB_DOCUMENTATION_SERVER
-
-# Make available to subprocesses
-export CFLAGS
-export CXXFLAGS
-export BOB_PREFIX_PATH
-export BOB_DOCUMENTATION_SERVER
+export_env BOB_PREFIX_PATH
+export_env BOB_DOCUMENTATION_SERVER