diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 5180c9802..7bde9ba77 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -16,21 +16,14 @@
 #
 #       -DCMAKE_MODULE_PATH=/path/to/ecbuild/cmake
 
-cmake_minimum_required( VERSION 3.11 FATAL_ERROR )
+cmake_minimum_required( VERSION 3.12 FATAL_ERROR )
+find_package( ecbuild 3.4 REQUIRED )
 
+# Initialise project
 project( eccodes VERSION 2.19.0 LANGUAGES C )
 
 set( CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake" ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH} "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../ecbuild/cmake" )
 
-include( ecbuild_system NO_POLICY_SCOPE )
-
-ecbuild_requires_macro_version( 3.4 )
-
-###############################################################################
-# local project
-
-ecbuild_declare_project()
-
 ###############################################################################
 # system checks needed for eccodes_config.h and some options like MEMFS