diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 0d3bdec59a9c2071de46f98a7258bf31592a1ff4..aa07a113b2a789cbdfd6a70e6d3bae0ce1ded2b9 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -35,8 +35,10 @@ add_subdirectory(examples EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
 
 # if Python bindings are enabled, include necessary sub directories.
 if(DUNE_ENABLE_PYTHONBINDINGS)
-  add_subdirectory(python)
-  dune_python_install_package(PATH "python")
+  if(${dune-common_VERSION} VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 2.8)
+    add_subdirectory(python)
+    dune_python_install_package(PATH "python")
+  endif()
 endif()
 
 # finalize the dune project, e.g. generating config.h etc.
diff --git a/test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/CMakeLists.txt
index 10f2e116f95d19981893b05b99ce3d314457aaac..091a9b50896ffd2a1544f97af0e276c857600245 100644
--- a/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -15,5 +15,7 @@ add_subdirectory(timestepping)
 
 # if Python bindings are enabled, include Python binding tests
 if(DUNE_ENABLE_PYTHONBINDINGS)
-  add_subdirectory(python)
+  if(${dune-common_VERSION} VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 2.8)
+    add_subdirectory(python)
+  endif()
 endif()