diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.d/init_x86_64.sh b/.gitlab-ci.d/init_x86_64.sh
index 8b79f8ef2d6f0bff98a94e908687d0cfe74e0428..ac0d3e0ad40b488cb12f0b27e4b28690c88f8765 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.d/init_x86_64.sh
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.d/init_x86_64.sh
@@ -54,18 +54,6 @@ export PYTHONPATH="$ROOTSYS/lib:$PYTHONPATH"
 export PATH="$ROOTSYS/bin:$PATH"
 export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$ROOTSYS/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
 
-
-#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#     CLHEP
-#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-export CLHEP=${CLICREPO}/software/CLHEP/2.3.1.1/${BUILD_FLAVOUR}
-export CLHEP_BASE_DIR="$CLHEP"
-export CLHEP_INCLUDE_DIR="$CLHEP/include"
-export PATH="$CLHEP_BASE_DIR/bin:$PATH"
-export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$CLHEP_BASE_DIR/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
-
-
 #--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #     XercesC
 #--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index e6dcdd76cbb31718292afe2f339477977fec5fef..93139c57f79afdb89980cda4b52a3149df96fd7c 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ slc6-gcc48:
     - source .gitlab-ci.d/init_x86_64.sh
     - mkdir build 
     - cd build
-    - cmake -GNinja -D DD4HEP_USE_GEANT4=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_BOOST=ON -DBoost_NO_BOOST_CMAKE=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_LCIO=ON -D BUILD_TESTING=ON -DCLHEP_DIR=$CLHEP -D Geant4_DIR=$G4INSTALL/lib64/Geant4-10.2.2 -D DD4HEP_USE_CXX11=ON ..        
+    - cmake -GNinja -D DD4HEP_USE_GEANT4=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_BOOST=ON -DBoost_NO_BOOST_CMAKE=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_LCIO=ON -D BUILD_TESTING=ON  -D Geant4_DIR=$G4INSTALL/lib64/Geant4-10.2.2 -D DD4HEP_USE_CXX11=ON ..        
     - ninja
     - ninja install
     - . ../bin/thisdd4hep.sh
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ slc6-gcc49:
     - source .gitlab-ci.d/init_x86_64.sh
     - mkdir build 
     - cd build
-    - cmake -GNinja -D DD4HEP_USE_GEANT4=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_BOOST=ON -DBoost_NO_BOOST_CMAKE=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_LCIO=ON -D BUILD_TESTING=ON -DCLHEP_DIR=$CLHEP -D Geant4_DIR=$G4INSTALL/lib64/Geant4-10.2.2 -D DD4HEP_USE_CXX11=ON ..        
+    - cmake -GNinja -D DD4HEP_USE_GEANT4=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_BOOST=ON -DBoost_NO_BOOST_CMAKE=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_LCIO=ON -D BUILD_TESTING=ON -D Geant4_DIR=$G4INSTALL/lib64/Geant4-10.2.2 -D DD4HEP_USE_CXX11=ON ..        
     - ninja
     - ninja install
     - . ../bin/thisdd4hep.sh
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ centos7-gcc49:
     - source .gitlab-ci.d/init_x86_64.sh
     - mkdir build 
     - cd build
-    - cmake -GNinja -D DD4HEP_USE_GEANT4=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_BOOST=ON -DBoost_NO_BOOST_CMAKE=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_LCIO=ON -D BUILD_TESTING=ON -DCLHEP_DIR=$CLHEP -D Geant4_DIR=$G4INSTALL/lib64/Geant4-10.2.2 -D DD4HEP_USE_CXX11=ON ..        
+    - cmake -GNinja -D DD4HEP_USE_GEANT4=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_BOOST=ON -DBoost_NO_BOOST_CMAKE=ON -D DD4HEP_USE_LCIO=ON -D BUILD_TESTING=ON -D Geant4_DIR=$G4INSTALL/lib64/Geant4-10.2.2 -D DD4HEP_USE_CXX11=ON ..        
     - ninja
     - ninja install
     - . ../bin/thisdd4hep.sh
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 34998f3679773fec8735de658b93978f0ee9a7de..a2924913b9e901944e22569b94b70ef123596b38 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -68,38 +68,42 @@ add_subdirectory(DDRec)
 add_subdirectory(DDDetectors)
 
 if(DD4HEP_USE_GEANT4)
-  set ( DD4HEP_USE_CLHEP "OFF" )
+
   #--- create a geant4 variables for the thisdd4hep.sh script
   find_package( Geant4 9.6 REQUIRED  gdml ui_all vis_all)
   
-  include(${Geant4_USE_FILE})   # this also takes care of geant 4 definitions and include dirs
-  
-  #----- if geant4 is build with external CLHEP we also need to export this fact
-  
-  string(FIND "${Geant4_THIRD_PARTY_INCLUDE_DIRS}"  "CLHEP" CLHEP_POS )
+  include(${Geant4_USE_FILE} )   # this also takes care of geant 4 definitions and include dirs
   
-  if( (NOT "${CLHEP_POS}" STREQUAL "-1") OR (NOT Geant4_builtin_clhep_FOUND)  )
-    set( GEANT4_USE_CLHEP 1 )
-    get_filename_component(Geant4_ROOT "${Geant4_INCLUDE_DIR}/../../" ABSOLUTE)
-    #---- use FindCLHEP shipped with geant4 -----------
-    set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH  ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH}  ${Geant4_ROOT}/cmake/Modules ) 
+  #----- Treatment for Geant4 10.2.1 or before this is obsolete only for backwards compatibility
+  if(${Geant4_VERSION} VERSION_LESS 10.2.2)
+    message( STATUS "!!! TREATING CLEHP IN LEGACY MODE !!!")
+    set ( DD4HEP_USE_CLHEP "OFF" )  
+    string(FIND "${Geant4_THIRD_PARTY_INCLUDE_DIRS}"  "CLHEP" CLHEP_POS )
     
-    if( CLHEP_DIR ) #---- use 'canonical' name -----
-      set( CLHEP_ROOT_DIR ${CLHEP_DIR} )
+    if( (NOT "${CLHEP_POS}" STREQUAL "-1") OR (NOT Geant4_builtin_clhep_FOUND)  )
+      set( GEANT4_USE_CLHEP 1 )
+      get_filename_component(Geant4_ROOT "${Geant4_INCLUDE_DIR}/../../" ABSOLUTE)
+      #---- use FindCLHEP shipped with geant4 -----------
+      set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH  ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH}  ${Geant4_ROOT}/cmake/Modules ) 
+      
+      if( CLHEP_DIR ) #---- use 'canonical' name -----
+	set( CLHEP_ROOT_DIR ${CLHEP_DIR} )
+      endif()
+      
+      find_package( CLHEP REQUIRED )
+      include_directories( SYSTEM ${CLHEP_INCLUDE_DIRS} )
+      set ( DD4HEP_USE_CLHEP ON )
+      
+      get_filename_component(CLHEP_LIBRARY_PATH "${CLHEP_LIBRARIES}" PATH)
+      message( STATUS " *** geant4 was build with external CLHEP *** CLHEP_LIBRARY_PATH = ${CLHEP_LIBRARY_PATH}"  )
+    else()
+      set( GEANT4_USE_CLHEP 0 )
     endif()
     
-    find_package( CLHEP REQUIRED )
-    include_directories( SYSTEM ${CLHEP_INCLUDE_DIRS} )
-    set ( DD4HEP_USE_CLHEP ON )
-    
-    get_filename_component(CLHEP_LIBRARY_PATH "${CLHEP_LIBRARIES}" PATH)
-    message( STATUS " *** geant4 was build with external CLHEP *** CLHEP_LIBRARY_PATH = ${CLHEP_LIBRARY_PATH}"  )
-  else()
-    set( GEANT4_USE_CLHEP 0 )
+    set(Geant4_INCLUDE_DIRS ${Geant4_INCLUDE_DIRS} ${CLHEP_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+    set(Geant4_LIBRARIES    ${Geant4_LIBRARIES} ${CLHEP_LIBRARIES})
   endif()
-  
-  set(Geant4_INCLUDE_DIRS ${Geant4_INCLUDE_DIRS} ${CLHEP_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-  set(Geant4_LIBRARIES    ${Geant4_LIBRARIES} ${CLHEP_LIBRARIES})
+  #----- End of treatment for Geant4 10.2.1 or before
 endif()
 
 #------- now configure DDG4 -------