diff --git a/0001-cmake-only-enable-C-not-C.patch b/0001-cmake-only-enable-C-not-C.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7da8a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/0001-cmake-only-enable-C-not-C.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+From b50ec6181248fa8905e4457474a3f6dde404ae8e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Christoph Junghans <junghans@votca.org>
+Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 15:44:50 -0700
+Subject: [PATCH] cmake: only enable C (not C++)
+
+---
+ CMakeLists.txt | 2 +-
+ 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
+
+diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
+index 3303f72..cd81f00 100644
+--- a/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ include(TestBigEndian)
+ include(CheckCSourceCompiles)
+ include(CheckSymbolExists)
+ include(cmake/macros.cmake)
+-project(libaec)
++project(libaec C)
+ set(libaec_VERSION_MAJOR 1)
+ set(libaec_VERSION_MINOR 0)
+ set(libaec_VERSION_PATCH 2)
+-- 
+2.14.3
+
diff --git a/libaec.spec b/libaec.spec
index be4dcf5..482c54e 100644
--- a/libaec.spec
+++ b/libaec.spec
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ Summary:        Adaptive Entropy Coding library
 License:        BSD
 Url:            https://gitlab.dkrz.de/k202009/libaec
 Source:         https://gitlab.dkrz.de/k202009/libaec/repository/archive.tar.gz?ref=v%{version}/%{name}-%{version}.tar.gz
+Patch0:         0001-cmake-only-enable-C-not-C.patch
 
+BuildRequires:  gcc
 BuildRequires:  %{?fedora:cmake >= 3.1}%{?rhel:cmake3 >= 3.1}
 
 %description
@@ -33,6 +35,7 @@ Devel files for libaec (Adaptive Entropy Coding library).
 %prep
 %setup -q -T -a 0 -c
 mv %{name}-v%{version}-*/* .
+%patch0 -p1
 
 %build
 mkdir build