diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 # Packages
 *.egg
 *.egg-info
+*.dist-info
 build
 eggs
 parts
diff --git a/lang/python/Makefile.am b/lang/python/Makefile.am
--- a/lang/python/Makefile.am
+++ b/lang/python/Makefile.am
@@ -34,40 +34,40 @@
 .PHONY: prepare
 prepare: copystamp
 
-# For VPATH builds we need to copy some files because Python's
-# distutils are not VPATH-aware.
+# For VPATH builds we need to copy some files because Python
+# is not VPATH-aware.
 copystamp:
 	ln -sf "$(top_srcdir)/src/data.h" .
 	ln -sf "$(top_builddir)/conf/config.h" .
 	ln -sf "$(srcdir)/src" gpg
 	touch $@
 
-all-local: copystamp
+all-local: wheels
+
+wheels: copystamp
 	set -e ; for PYTHON in $(PYTHONS); do \
 	  CPP="$(CPP)" \
 	  CFLAGS="$(CFLAGS)" \
 	  srcdir="$(srcdir)" \
 	  top_builddir="$(top_builddir)" \
-	    $$PYTHON setup.py build --verbose --build-base="$$(basename "$${PYTHON}")-gpg" ; \
+	    $$PYTHON -m build --wheel --no-isolation --outdir=wheels . ; \
 	done
 
-python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-gpg/dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz.asc: copystamp
-	$(MKDIR_P) python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-gpg-dist
+dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz.asc: copystamp
 	CPP="$(CPP)" \
 	CFLAGS="$(CFLAGS)" \
 	srcdir="$(srcdir)" \
 	top_builddir="$(top_builddir)" \
-	  $(PYTHON) setup.py sdist --verbose --dist-dir=python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-gpg-dist \
-		--manifest=python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-gpg-dist/MANIFEST
+	  $(PYTHON) -m build --sdist --no-isolation .
 	gpgbin=gpgconf --list-components | grep OpenPGP | sed -e 's/gpg:OpenPGP://g'
-	$(gpgbin) --detach-sign --armor python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-gpg-dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz
+	$(gpgbin) --detach-sign --armor dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz
 
 .PHONY: sdist
-sdist:	python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-gpg/dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz.asc
+sdist:	dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz.asc
 
 .PHONY: upload
-upload: python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-gpg-dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz \
-        python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-gpg-dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz.asc
+upload: dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz \
+        dist/gpg-$(VERSION).tar.gz.asc
 	twine upload $^
 
 CLEANFILES = copystamp \
@@ -75,34 +75,27 @@
 	data.h \
 	gpg
 
-# Remove the rest.
-#
-# 'make distclean' clears the write bit, breaking rm -rf.  Fix the
-# permissions.
 clean-local:
-	rm -rf -- build
-	for PYTHON in $(PYTHONS); do \
-	  find "$$(basename "$${PYTHON}")-gpg" -type d ! -perm -200 -exec chmod u+w {} ';' ; \
-	  rm -rf -- "$$(basename "$${PYTHON}")-gpg" ; \
-	done
+	rm -rf -- build wheels dist gpg.egg-info
 
-install-exec-local:
+# Python 2 pip won't install the wheel if the egg-info is present
+install-exec-local: wheels
+	rm -rf -- gpg.egg-info ; \
 	set -e ; for PYTHON in $(PYTHONS); do \
 	  CPP="$(CPP)" \
 	  CFLAGS="$(CFLAGS)" \
 	  srcdir="$(srcdir)" \
 	  top_builddir="$(top_builddir)" \
-	  $$PYTHON setup.py \
-	  build \
-	  --build-base="$$(basename "$${PYTHON}")-gpg" \
-	  install \
-	  --prefix "$(DESTDIR)$(prefix)" \
-	  --verbose ; \
+	  $$PYTHON -m pip install \
+	    --no-index --find-links ./wheels \
+	    --prefix "$(DESTDIR)$(prefix)" \
+	    --verbose \
+	    gpg ; \
 	done
 
 uninstall-local:
 	set -x; GV=$$(echo $(VERSION) | tr - _); for PYTHON in $(PYTHONS); do \
 	  PLATLIB="$(prefix)/$$("$${PYTHON}" -c 'import sysconfig, os; print(os.path.relpath(sysconfig.get_path("platlib", scheme="posix_prefix"), sysconfig.get_config_var("prefix")))')" ; \
 	  rm -rf -- "$(DESTDIR)$${PLATLIB}/gpg" \
-		"$(DESTDIR)$${PLATLIB}"/gpg-$$GV-py*.egg-info ; \
+		"$(DESTDIR)$${PLATLIB}"/gpg-$$GV.dist-info ; \
 	done
diff --git a/lang/python/doc/src/gpgme-python-howto.org b/lang/python/doc/src/gpgme-python-howto.org
--- a/lang/python/doc/src/gpgme-python-howto.org
+++ b/lang/python/doc/src/gpgme-python-howto.org
@@ -2945,7 +2945,7 @@
 =setup.py= file which contains this:
 
 #+BEGIN_SRC python -i
-from distutils.core import setup
+from setuptools import setup
 from Cython.Build import cythonize
 
 setup(
diff --git a/lang/python/examples/howto/advanced/cython/setup.py b/lang/python/examples/howto/advanced/cython/setup.py
--- a/lang/python/examples/howto/advanced/cython/setup.py
+++ b/lang/python/examples/howto/advanced/cython/setup.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from distutils.core import setup
+from setuptools import setup
 from Cython.Build import cythonize
 
 setup(
diff --git a/lang/python/setup.py.in b/lang/python/setup.py.in
--- a/lang/python/setup.py.in
+++ b/lang/python/setup.py.in
@@ -18,8 +18,12 @@
 #    License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
 #    Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307  USA
 
-from distutils.core import setup, Extension
-from distutils.command.build import build
+try:
+    from setuptools import setup, Extension
+    from setuptools.command.build import build
+except ImportError:
+    from distutils.core import setup, Extension
+    from distutils.command.build import build
 
 import glob
 import os
@@ -225,9 +229,8 @@
         build.run(self)
 
 
-py3 = [] if sys.version_info.major < 3 else ['-py3']
 swig_sources = []
-swig_opts = ['-threads'] + py3 + extra_swig_opts
+swig_opts = ['-threads'] + extra_swig_opts
 swige = Extension(
     'gpg._gpgme',
     sources=swig_sources,
@@ -282,10 +285,12 @@
         'Programming Language :: Python :: 2',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: 3',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7',
+        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8',
+        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9',
+        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10',
+        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11',
+        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12',
         'Operating System :: POSIX',
         'Operating System :: Microsoft :: Windows',
         'Topic :: Communications :: Email',
diff --git a/m4/ax_python_devel.m4 b/m4/ax_python_devel.m4
--- a/m4/ax_python_devel.m4
+++ b/m4/ax_python_devel.m4
@@ -468,4 +468,4 @@
 	#
 	# all done!
 	#
-])
+])
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/m4/python.m4 b/m4/python.m4
--- a/m4/python.m4
+++ b/m4/python.m4
@@ -36,12 +36,12 @@
 # numbers and dots only.
 AC_DEFUN([AM_PATH_PYTHON],
  [
-  dnl Find a Python interpreter.  Python versions prior to 2.7 are not
-  dnl supported. Python 3.0 through to Python 3.3 are also not supported.
+  dnl Find a Python interpreter.  Python versions prior to 3.8 are
+  dnl end-of-life and not supported, with the exception of 2.7 and 3.6
   m4_define_default([_AM_PYTHON_INTERPRETER_LIST],
 [python2 python2.7 dnl
  python dnl
- python3 python3.10 python3.9 python3.8 python3.7 python3.6 python3.5 python3.4
+ python3 python3.12 python3.11 python3.10 python3.9 python3.8 python3.6
  ])
 
   AC_ARG_VAR([PYTHON], [the Python interpreter])