diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 4c456c7ff7535294f5dd8991f68b607cbe25be56..84cb25637ea5a93642d97bc854cf05861cf191a6 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+python-defaults (2.6.5-7) unstable; urgency=low
+
+  * pyversions.py: fall back to the list of supported Python versions
+    if debian/pyversions doesn't exist (as in -5, closes: 588820, thanks to
+    Vincent Legout)
+
+ -- Piotr Ożarowski <piotr@debian.org>  Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:15:17 +0200
+
 python-defaults (2.6.5-6) unstable; urgency=low
 
   [ Piotr Ożarowski ]
diff --git a/debian/pyversions.py b/debian/pyversions.py
index d84b9367737a3bbe90f906e5e4fef3e07077da9c..7c50300be19d122863763b94fca1c7e7e155d516 100644
--- a/debian/pyversions.py
+++ b/debian/pyversions.py
@@ -314,11 +314,7 @@ def requested_versions_bis(vstring, version_only=False):
     return versions
 
 def extract_pyversion_attribute_bis(fn):
-    try:
-        vstring = file(fn).readline().rstrip('\n')
-    except IOError, msg:
-        print msg
-        sys.exit(3)
+    vstring = file(fn).readline().rstrip('\n')
     return vstring
 
 def main():