diff --git a/.github/workflows/coverity.yml b/.github/workflows/coverity.yml
index 2a13c2380..4e8b53d4d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/coverity.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/coverity.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ jobs:
     - uses: cvmfs-contrib/github-action-cvmfs@v3
     - uses: aidasoft/run-lcg-view@v4
       with:
-        coverity-cmake-command: 'cmake -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17  -DENABLE_SIO=ON -DUSE_EXTERNAL_CATCH2=OFF ..'
+        coverity-cmake-command: 'cmake -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17  -DENABLE_SIO=ON -DENABLE_JULIA=ON -DUSE_EXTERNAL_CATCH2=OFF ..'
         coverity-project: 'AIDASoft%2Fpodio'
         coverity-project-token: ${{ secrets.PODIO_COVERITY_TOKEN }}
         github-pat: ${{ secrets.READ_COVERITY_IMAGE }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/edm4hep.yaml b/.github/workflows/edm4hep.yaml
index 188c56f64..76d970d63 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/edm4hep.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/edm4hep.yaml
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ jobs:
             cd $STARTDIR/podio
             mkdir build && cd build
             cmake -DENABLE_SIO=ON \
+              -DENABLE_JULIA=ON \
               -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=../install \
               -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 \
               -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=" -fdiagnostics-color=always -Werror -Wno-error=deprecated-declarations " \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/key4hep.yml b/.github/workflows/key4hep.yml
index 5135b4741..47c7641a7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/key4hep.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/key4hep.yml
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ jobs:
           mkdir build install
           cd build
           cmake -DENABLE_SIO=ON \
+            -DENABLE_JULIA=ON \
             -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=../install \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=" -fdiagnostics-color=always -Werror -Wno-error=deprecated-declarations " \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pre-commit.yml b/.github/workflows/pre-commit.yml
index d22047cbf..b15ada282 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pre-commit.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pre-commit.yml
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ jobs:
           mkdir build
           cd build
           cmake .. -DENABLE_SIO=ON \
+            -DENABLE_JULIA=ON \
             -DENABLE_RNTUPLE=ON \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=" -fdiagnostics-color=always -Werror "\
diff --git a/.github/workflows/sanitizers.yaml b/.github/workflows/sanitizers.yaml
index e2c4d4af4..537cf7c57 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/sanitizers.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/sanitizers.yaml
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ jobs:
               -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=" -fdiagnostics-color=always " \
               -DUSE_EXTERNAL_CATCH2=OFF \
               -DENABLE_SIO=ON \
+              -DENABLE_JULIA=ON \
               -G Ninja ..
             echo "::endgroup::"
             echo "::group::Build"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index e90601816..5cd382e26 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ jobs:
           mkdir build install
           cd build
           cmake -DENABLE_SIO=ON \
+            -DENABLE_JULIA=ON \
             -DENABLE_RNTUPLE=${{ matrix.RNTUPLE }} \
             -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=../install \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=${{ matrix.CXX_STANDARD }} \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml b/.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml
index 7fe3ececc..2d7f68aac 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ jobs:
           mkdir build install
           cd build
           cmake -DENABLE_SIO=${{ matrix.sio }} \
+            -DENABLE_JULIA=ON \
             -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=../install \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=" -fdiagnostics-color=always -Werror -Wno-error=deprecated-declarations " \
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 83c74dbe5..a0cc27849 100755
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ option(ENABLE_SIO        "Build SIO I/O support" OFF)
 option(PODIO_RELAX_PYVER "Do not require exact python version match with ROOT" OFF)
 option(ENABLE_RNTUPLE    "Build with support for the new ROOT NTtuple format" OFF)
 option(PODIO_USE_CLANG_FORMAT "Use clang-format to format the code" OFF)
+option(ENABLE_JULIA      "Enable Julia support. When enabled, Julia datamodels will be generated, and Julia tests will run." OFF)
 
 
 #--- Declare ROOT dependency ---------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/python/templates/CMakeLists.txt b/python/templates/CMakeLists.txt
index 7b7d04007..83a52996a 100644
--- a/python/templates/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/python/templates/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -25,6 +25,5 @@ set(PODIO_TEMPLATES
 
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/MutableStruct.jl.jinja2
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/ParentModule.jl.jinja2
-  ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/macros/abstracttypes.jinja2
-  ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/macros/params.jinja2
+  ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/macros/julia_helpers.jinja2
 )
diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index c49ad74c2..cebf6476c 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -63,26 +63,33 @@ add_subdirectory(schema_evolution)
 CREATE_PODIO_TEST(ostream_operator.cpp "")
 CREATE_PODIO_TEST(write_ascii.cpp "")
 
-PODIO_GENERATE_DATAMODEL(datamodeljulia datalayout.yaml headers sources
-  IO_BACKEND_HANDLERS ${PODIO_IO_HANDLERS}
-  LANG julia
-  )
-
-PODIO_GENERATE_DATAMODEL(extensionmodeljulia datalayout_extension.yaml ext_headers ext_sources
-  UPSTREAM_EDM ../../datamodeljulia:datalayout.yaml
-  IO_BACKEND_HANDLERS ${PODIO_IO_HANDLERS}
-  OUTPUT_FOLDER ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extension_model
-  LANG julia
-  )
+if (ENABLE_JULIA)
+  message(STATUS "Julia Datamodel generation is enabled.")
+  PODIO_GENERATE_DATAMODEL(datamodeljulia datalayout.yaml headers sources
+    IO_BACKEND_HANDLERS ${PODIO_IO_HANDLERS}
+    LANG julia
+    )
 
-find_program(Julia_EXECUTABLE julia)
-if (Julia_EXECUTABLE)
-  message(STATUS "Found Julia, will add the Julia tests")
-  set(UNITTEST_SCRIPT_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/unittests/unittest.jl)
-  add_test(NAME julia-unittests COMMAND julia ${UNITTEST_SCRIPT_PATH})
-  set_tests_properties(julia-unittests PROPERTIES
-    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}
+  PODIO_GENERATE_DATAMODEL(extensionmodeljulia datalayout_extension.yaml ext_headers ext_sources
+    UPSTREAM_EDM ../../datamodeljulia:datalayout.yaml
+    IO_BACKEND_HANDLERS ${PODIO_IO_HANDLERS}
+    OUTPUT_FOLDER ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extension_model
+    LANG julia
     )
+
+  find_program(Julia_EXECUTABLE julia)
+  if (Julia_EXECUTABLE)
+    message(STATUS "Found Julia, will add the Julia tests")
+    set(UNITTEST_SCRIPT_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/unittests/unittest.jl)
+    add_test(NAME julia-unittests COMMAND julia ${UNITTEST_SCRIPT_PATH})
+    set_tests_properties(julia-unittests PROPERTIES
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}
+      )
+  else()
+    message(WARNING "Julia not found.")
+  endif()
+else()
+  message(STATUS "Julia Datamodel generation is disabled.")
 endif()
 
 # Customize CTest to potentially disable some of the tests with known problems