diff --git a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-aspectj/pom.xml b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-aspectj/pom.xml
index eaa7bfc3..51659caa 100644
--- a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-aspectj/pom.xml
+++ b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-aspectj/pom.xml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
   <description>AspectJ Compiler support for Plexus Compiler component.</description>
 
   <properties>
-    <javaVersion>17</javaVersion>
+    <javaVersion>8</javaVersion>
   </properties>
 
   <dependencies>
diff --git a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-eclipse/pom.xml b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-eclipse/pom.xml
index e2d1d344..f2bde200 100644
--- a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-eclipse/pom.xml
+++ b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-eclipse/pom.xml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
   <description>Eclipse Compiler support for Plexus Compiler component.</description>
 
   <properties>
-    <javaVersion>17</javaVersion>
+    <javaVersion>8</javaVersion>
   </properties>
 
   <dependencies>
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 66d777cf..9e88c92c 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@
         <artifactId>maven-enforcer-plugin</artifactId>
         <executions>
           <execution>
-            <id>enforce-java</id>
+            <id>enforce-maven-and-java-bytecode</id>
             <goals>
               <goal>enforce</goal>
             </goals>
@@ -207,6 +207,14 @@
                   <version>[17,)</version>
                   <message>[ERROR] OLD JDK [${java.version}] in use. This projects requires JDK 17 or newer</message>
                 </requireJavaVersion>
+                <enforceBytecodeVersion>
+                  <maxJdkVersion>${javaVersion}</maxJdkVersion>
+                  <excludes>
+                    <!-- Java 17 is required for Eclipse Compiler and AspectJ -->
+                    <exclude>org.eclipse.jdt:ecj</exclude>
+                    <exclude>org.aspectj:aspectjtools</exclude>
+                  </excludes>
+                </enforceBytecodeVersion>
               </rules>
             </configuration>
           </execution>