diff --git a/python/cxx/eclipse_io.cpp b/python/cxx/eclipse_io.cpp
index 9e86b80a7..79c748c07 100644
--- a/python/cxx/eclipse_io.cpp
+++ b/python/cxx/eclipse_io.cpp
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ void python::common::export_IO(py::module& m) {
 
     py::class_<Opm::EclIO::EclFile>(m, "EclFile")
         .def(py::init<const std::string &, bool>(), py::arg("filename"), py::arg("preload") = false)
-        .def("__get_list_of_arrays", &Opm::EclIO::EclFile::getList)
+        .def_property_readonly("arrays", &Opm::EclIO::EclFile::getList)
         .def("__contains__", &Opm::EclIO::EclFile::hasKey)
         .def("__len__", &Opm::EclIO::EclFile::size)
         .def("count", &Opm::EclIO::EclFile::count)
@@ -410,10 +410,10 @@ void python::common::export_IO(py::module& m) {
         .def("__len__", &Opm::EclIO::ERst::numberOfReportSteps)
         .def("count", &Opm::EclIO::ERst::occurrence_count)
         .def("__contains", &erst_contains)
-        .def("__get_list_of_arrays", (std::vector< std::tuple<std::string, Opm::EclIO::eclArrType, int64_t> >
-                                     (Opm::EclIO::ERst::*)(int) ) &Opm::EclIO::ERst::listOfRstArrays)
-        .def("__get_list_of_arrays", (std::vector< std::tuple<std::string, Opm::EclIO::eclArrType, int64_t> >
-                                     (Opm::EclIO::ERst::*)(int, const std::string&) ) &Opm::EclIO::ERst::listOfRstArrays)
+        .def("arrays", (std::vector< std::tuple<std::string, Opm::EclIO::eclArrType, int64_t> >
+                        (Opm::EclIO::ERst::*)(int) ) &Opm::EclIO::ERst::listOfRstArrays)
+        .def("arrays", (std::vector< std::tuple<std::string, Opm::EclIO::eclArrType, int64_t> >
+                        (Opm::EclIO::ERst::*)(int, const std::string&) ) &Opm::EclIO::ERst::listOfRstArrays)
         .def("__get_data", &get_erst_by_index)
         .def("__get_data", &get_erst_vector);
 
@@ -446,14 +446,14 @@ void python::common::export_IO(py::module& m) {
 
    py::class_<Opm::EclIO::ERft>(m, "ERft")
         .def(py::init<const std::string &>())
-        .def("__get_list_of_rfts", &Opm::EclIO::ERft::listOfRftReports)
+        .def_property_readonly("list_of_rfts", &Opm::EclIO::ERft::listOfRftReports)
 
         .def("__get_list_of_arrays", (std::vector< std::tuple<std::string, Opm::EclIO::eclArrType, int64_t> >
-                                     (Opm::EclIO::ERft::*)(int) const) &Opm::EclIO::ERft::listOfRftArrays)
+                                      (Opm::EclIO::ERft::*)(int) const) &Opm::EclIO::ERft::listOfRftArrays)
 
         .def("__get_list_of_arrays", (std::vector< std::tuple<std::string, Opm::EclIO::eclArrType, int64_t> >
-                                     (Opm::EclIO::ERft::*)(const std::string&, int, int, int) const)
-                                      &Opm::EclIO::ERft::listOfRftArrays)
+                                      (Opm::EclIO::ERft::*)(const std::string&, int, int, int) const)
+             &Opm::EclIO::ERft::listOfRftArrays)
 
         .def("__get_data", &get_rft_vector_WellDate)
         .def("__get_data", &get_rft_vector_Index)
diff --git a/python/opm/io/ecl/__init__.py b/python/opm/io/ecl/__init__.py
index a11710cac..61ef31b15 100644
--- a/python/opm/io/ecl/__init__.py
+++ b/python/opm/io/ecl/__init__.py
@@ -16,16 +16,6 @@ import datetime
 # ensure the EclFile class returns normal Python strings in the case of CHAR
 # arrays. The return value is normal Python list of strings.
 
-@property
-def eclfile_get_list_of_arrays(self):
-
-    if sys.version_info.major == 2:
-        rawData = self.__get_list_of_arrays()
-        return [ ( x[0].encode("utf-8"), x[1], x[2] ) for x in rawData ]
-    else:
-        return self.__get_list_of_arrays()
-
-
 def getitem_eclfile(self, arg):
 
     if isinstance(arg, tuple):
@@ -39,15 +29,6 @@ def getitem_eclfile(self, arg):
     return data
 
 
-def erst_get_list_of_arrays(self, arg):
-
-    if sys.version_info.major==2:
-        rawData = self.__get_list_of_arrays(arg)
-        return [ ( x[0].encode("utf-8"), x[1], x[2] ) for x in rawData ]
-    else:
-        return self.__get_list_of_arrays(arg)
-
-
 def getitem_erst(self, arg):
 
     if not isinstance(arg, tuple):
@@ -121,15 +102,6 @@ def contains_erft(self, arg):
         raise ValueError("expecting tuple (wellname, year, month, day) or \
                 (arrayName, wellname, year, month, day) or (arrayName, report_index)")
 
-@property
-def erft_list_of_rfts(self):
-
-    if sys.version_info.major==2:
-        data = self.__get_list_of_rfts()
-        return [ ( x[0].encode("utf-8"), x[1], x[2] ) for x in data ]
-    else:
-        return self.__get_list_of_rfts()
-
 
 def erft_list_of_arrays(self, arg1, arg2 = None):
 
@@ -138,10 +110,7 @@ def erft_list_of_arrays(self, arg1, arg2 = None):
     else:
         data = self.__get_list_of_arrays(str(arg1), int(arg2[0]), int(arg2[1]), int(arg2[2]))
 
-    if sys.version_info.major==2:
-        return [ ( x[0].encode("utf-8"), x[1], x[2] ) for x in data ]
-    else:
-        return data
+    return data
 
 
 def getitem_erft(self, arg):
@@ -207,17 +176,14 @@ def ecloutput_write(self, name, array, C0nn=False):
 
 
 setattr(EclFile, "__getitem__", getitem_eclfile)
-setattr(EclFile, "arrays", eclfile_get_list_of_arrays)
 
 setattr(ERst, "__contains__", contains_erst)
-setattr(ERst, "arrays", erst_get_list_of_arrays)
 setattr(ERst, "__getitem__", getitem_erst)
 
 setattr(ESmry, "end_date", esmry_end_date)
 setattr(ESmry, "__getitem__", getitem_esmry)
 
 setattr(ERft, "__contains__", contains_erft)
-setattr(ERft, "list_of_rfts", erft_list_of_rfts)
 setattr(ERft, "arrays", erft_list_of_arrays)
 setattr(ERft, "__getitem__",getitem_erft)
 
diff --git a/python/opm/util/__init__.py b/python/opm/util/__init__.py
index f68af9755..db8841e2c 100644
--- a/python/opm/util/__init__.py
+++ b/python/opm/util/__init__.py
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-from __future__ import absolute_import
-
 from opm._common import EModel, eclArrType
 from opm._common import calc_cell_vol