diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index 231cca1e..c60ab05c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -44,12 +44,15 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
-          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          #python -m pip install --upgrade pip
           if [[ "$F2B_PY" = 3 ]] && ! command -v 2to3x -v 2to3 > /dev/null; then
-            pip install 2to3
+            #pip install 2to3
+            sudo apt-get -y install 2to3
           fi
-          pip install systemd-python || echo 'systemd not available'
-          pip install pyinotify || echo 'inotify not available'
+          #pip install systemd-python || echo 'systemd not available'
+          #pip install pyinotify || echo 'inotify not available'
+          sudo apt-get -y install python${F2B_PY/2/}-systemd || echo 'systemd not available'
+          sudo apt-get -y install python${F2B_PY/2/}-pyinotify || echo 'inotify not available'
 
       - name: Before scripts
         run: |
@@ -61,6 +64,9 @@ jobs:
       
       - name: Test suite
         run: if [[ "$F2B_PY" = 2 ]]; then python setup.py test; else python bin/fail2ban-testcases --verbosity=2; fi
-        
+
+      - name: Build
+        run: python setup.py build
+
       #- name: Test initd scripts
       #  run: shellcheck -s bash -e SC1090,SC1091 files/debian-initd
diff --git a/fail2ban/tests/misctestcase.py b/fail2ban/tests/misctestcase.py
index 458e9a23..559a89f3 100644
--- a/fail2ban/tests/misctestcase.py
+++ b/fail2ban/tests/misctestcase.py
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ class SetupTest(unittest.TestCase):
 		supdbgout = ' >/dev/null 2>&1' if unittest.F2B.log_level >= logging.DEBUG else '' # HEAVYDEBUG
 		try:
 			# try dry-run:
-			os.system("%s %s --dry-run install --disable-2to3 --root=%s%s"
+			os.system("%s %s --dry-run install --root=%s%s"
 					  % (sys.executable, self.setup , tmp, supdbgout))
 			# check nothing was created:
 			self.assertTrue(not os.listdir(tmp))
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ class SetupTest(unittest.TestCase):
 		# suppress stdout (and stderr) if not heavydebug
 		supdbgout = ' >/dev/null' if unittest.F2B.log_level >= logging.DEBUG else '' # HEAVYDEBUG
 		try:
-			self.assertEqual(os.system("%s %s install --disable-2to3 --root=%s%s"
+			self.assertEqual(os.system("%s %s install --root=%s%s"
 					  % (sys.executable, self.setup, tmp, supdbgout)), 0)
 
 			def strippath(l):
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 2e2a77fa..98413273 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -39,14 +39,6 @@ from distutils.command.build_scripts import build_scripts
 if setuptools is None:
 	from distutils.command.install import install
 	from distutils.command.install_scripts import install_scripts
-try:
-	# python 3.x
-	from distutils.command.build_py import build_py_2to3
-	from distutils.command.build_scripts import build_scripts_2to3
-	_2to3 = True
-except ImportError:
-	# python 2.x
-	_2to3 = False
 
 import os
 from os.path import isfile, join, isdir, realpath
@@ -56,7 +48,7 @@ import warnings
 from glob import glob
 
 from fail2ban.setup import updatePyExec
-
+from fail2ban.version import version
 
 source_dir = os.path.realpath(os.path.dirname(
 	# __file__ seems to be overwritten sometimes on some python versions (e.g. bug of 2.6 by running under cProfile, etc.):
@@ -120,22 +112,12 @@ class install_scripts_f2b(install_scripts):
 # Wrapper to specify fail2ban own options:
 class install_command_f2b(install):
 	user_options = install.user_options + [
-		('disable-2to3', None, 'Specify to deactivate 2to3, e.g. if the install runs from fail2ban test-cases.'),
 		('without-tests', None, 'without tests files installation'),
 	]
 	def initialize_options(self):
-		self.disable_2to3 = None
 		self.without_tests = not with_tests
 		install.initialize_options(self)
 	def finalize_options(self):
-		global _2to3
-		## in the test cases 2to3 should be already done (fail2ban-2to3):
-		if self.disable_2to3:
-			_2to3 = False
-		if _2to3:
-			cmdclass = self.distribution.cmdclass
-			cmdclass['build_py'] = build_py_2to3
-			cmdclass['build_scripts'] = build_scripts_2to3
 		if self.without_tests:
 			self.distribution.scripts.remove('bin/fail2ban-testcases')
 
@@ -186,7 +168,6 @@ commands.'''
 if setuptools:
 	setup_extra = {
 		'test_suite': "fail2ban.tests.utils.gatherTests",
-		'use_2to3': True,
 	}
 else:
 	setup_extra = {}
@@ -210,9 +191,6 @@ if platform_system in ('linux', 'solaris', 'sunos') or platform_system.startswit
 		('/usr/share/doc/fail2ban', doc_files)
 	)
 
-# Get version number, avoiding importing fail2ban.
-# This is due to tests not functioning for python3 as 2to3 takes place later
-exec(open(join("fail2ban", "version.py")).read())
 
 setup(
 	name = "fail2ban",