diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 014d9babaf5de9af5ed21e1a78a73aef685fd461..8f8e67a7335d8ad4cbbc9a4d6975082ddcf26e3b 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -121,9 +121,7 @@ version:
   stage: config
   script:
     - |
-      VERSION=`head -n1 VERSION`
-      VERSION_FULL=${VERSION}
-      VERSION_SHORT=${VERSION%.*}
+      VERSION="$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH"
       TESTING="testing"
       NIGHTLY="nightly"
     ## determine appropriate major docker tag for this scenario
@@ -137,30 +135,30 @@ version:
       ## nightly tag, only used in master
       NIGHTLY_TAG=${NIGHTLY}
       if [ "x${CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE}" = "xmerge_request_event" ]; then
-        INTERNAL_TAG="unstable-mr-${CI_MERGE_REQUEST_ID}"
+        INTERNAL_TAG="unstable-mr-${CI_MERGE_REQUEST_PROJECT_ID}-${CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID}"
         NIGHTLY_TAG="${INTERNAL_TAG}-nightly"
-        EXPORT_TAG="${VERSION_SHORT}-unstable"
-        EXPORT_TAG2="unstable-mr-${CI_MERGE_REQUEST_PROJECT_ID}-${CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID}"
-      elif [[ "$CI_COMMIT_TAG" =~ ^v${VERSION} ]]; then
-        VERSION_FULL="${CI_COMMIT_TAG:1}"
-        INTERNAL_TAG="stable-tag-${VERSION_FULL}"
+        EXPORT_TAG="unstable-mr-${CI_MERGE_REQUEST_PROJECT_ID}-${CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID}"
+        EXPORT_TAG2=
+      elif [[ "$CI_COMMIT_TAG" =~ ^v[0-9.]+ ]]; then
+        VERSION="${CI_COMMIT_TAG:1}"
+        INTERNAL_TAG="stable-tag-${VERSION}"
         NIGHTLY_TAG=
-        EXPORT_TAG=${VERSION_FULL}
+        EXPORT_TAG=${VERSION}
         EXPORT_TAG2=
-      elif [ "$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH" = "v${VERSION_SHORT}-stable" ]; then
+      elif [[ "$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH" = "v[0-9.]+-stable" ]]; then
+        VERSION="${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH:1}"
         INTERNAL_TAG="stable-br-${VERSION}"
         NIGHTLY_TAG=
-        EXPORT_TAG=${VERSION_SHORT}-stable
+        EXPORT_TAG=${VERSION}
         EXPORT_TAG2=
-      elif [[ "$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH" =~ ^v${VERSION_SHORT}-[a-z]+-stable ]]; then
-        VERSION_FULL="${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH:1}"
-        INTERNAL_TAG="stable-br-${VERSION_FULL}"
+      elif [[ "$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH" =~ ^v[0-9.]+-[a-z]+-stable ]]; then
+        VERSION="${CI_COMMIT_BRANCH:1}"
+        INTERNAL_TAG="stable-br-${VERSION}"
         NIGHTLY_TAG=
-        EXPORT_TAG=${VERSION_FULL}
+        EXPORT_TAG=${VERSION}
         EXPORT_TAG2=
       fi
-      echo "VERSION_FULL=$VERSION_FULL" >> build.env
-      echo "VERSION_SHORT=$VERSION_SHORT" >> build.env
+      echo "VERSION=$VERSION" >> build.env
       echo "INTERNAL_TAG=$INTERNAL_TAG" >> build.env
       echo "NIGHTLY_TAG=$NIGHTLY_TAG" >> build.env
       echo "EXPORT_TAG=$EXPORT_TAG" >> build.env
@@ -446,7 +444,7 @@ jug_xl:feature:
       if [ "$CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE" == "merge_request_event" ]; then
         PUSH_FLAG="--eicweb"
       fi
-      FEATURE_EXPORT_TAG="${VERSION_SHORT}-${DETECTOR_BRANCH}-stable"
+      FEATURE_EXPORT_TAG="${VERSION}-${DETECTOR}-${DETECTOR_BRANCH}-stable"
     - ./gitlab-ci/docker_push.sh -i ${BUILD_IMAGE} -l ${INTERNAL_TAG}-${DETECTOR}-${DETECTOR_BRANCH}
                                  -n ${DOCKER_NTRIES} -t ${DOCKER_WAIT_TIME}
                                  ${FEATURE_EXPORT_TAG} ${PUSH_FLAG}
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
deleted file mode 100644
index 934af9e15d4fee3b8749b35dbaca507de635480d..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/VERSION
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-23.02.0