diff --git a/easybuild/easyblocks/__init__.py b/easybuild/easyblocks/__init__.py
index 45b2cf697f..36efc824b4 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyblocks/__init__.py
+++ b/easybuild/easyblocks/__init__.py
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@
 @author: Jens Timmerman (Ghent University)
 """
 import os
-from easybuild.tools import LooseVersion
 from pkgutil import extend_path
 
 # note: release candidates should be versioned as a pre-release, e.g. "1.1rc1"
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@
 # recent setuptools versions will *TRANSFORM* something like 'X.Y.Zdev' into 'X.Y.Z.dev0', with a warning like
 #   UserWarning: Normalizing '2.4.0dev' to '2.4.0.dev0'
 # This causes problems further up the dependency chain...
-VERSION = LooseVersion('5.0.0.dev0')
+VERSION = '5.0.0.dev0'
 UNKNOWN = 'UNKNOWN'
 
 
@@ -76,7 +75,7 @@ def get_git_revision():
 if git_rev == UNKNOWN:
     VERBOSE_VERSION = VERSION
 else:
-    VERBOSE_VERSION = LooseVersion("%s-r%s" % (VERSION, git_rev))
+    VERBOSE_VERSION = "%s-r%s" % (VERSION, git_rev)
 
 # extend path so python finds our easyblocks in the subdirectories where they are located
 subdirs = [chr(x) for x in range(ord('a'), ord('z') + 1)] + ['0']
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 5162b2fe3c..a932c20e16 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
 sys.path.append('easybuild')
 from easyblocks import VERSION  # noqa
 
-FRAMEWORK_MAJVER = str(VERSION).split('.')[0]
+FRAMEWORK_MAJVER = VERSION.split('.')[0]
 
 # log levels: 0=WARN (default), 1=INFO, 2=DEBUG
 log.set_verbosity(1)
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ def read(fname):
 
 setup(
     name="easybuild-easyblocks",
-    version=str(VERSION),
+    version=VERSION,
     author="EasyBuild community",
     author_email="easybuild@lists.ugent.be",
     description="""Python modules which implement support for installing particular \
diff --git a/test/easyblocks/general.py b/test/easyblocks/general.py
index 25b3ccba40..89108d1b88 100644
--- a/test/easyblocks/general.py
+++ b/test/easyblocks/general.py
@@ -50,10 +50,7 @@ class EB_%s(EasyBlock):
     __path__ = extend_path(__path__, '%s.%s' % (__name__, subdir))
 """
 NAMESPACE_EXTEND_PATH = "from pkgutil import extend_path; __path__ = extend_path(__path__, __name__)"
-EASYBLOCKS_VERSION = """
-from distutils.version import LooseVersion
-VERSION = LooseVersion('%s')
-""" % VERSION
+EASYBLOCKS_VERSION = "VERSION = '%s'" % VERSION
 
 
 def det_path_for_import(module, pythonpath=None):