diff --git a/preprocessor/macro/MacroDriver.hh b/preprocessor/macro/MacroDriver.hh
index 0ae177ff2..0945a3296 100644
--- a/preprocessor/macro/MacroDriver.hh
+++ b/preprocessor/macro/MacroDriver.hh
@@ -86,8 +86,6 @@ private:
   //! If current context is the body of a loop, contains the location of the beginning of the body
   Macro::parser::location_type for_body_loc;
 
-  //! Temporary variable used for counting parens in dates statement
-  int dates_parens_nb;
   //! Temporary variable used in FOR_BODY mode
   string for_body_tmp;
   //! Temporary variable used in FOR_BODY mode
diff --git a/preprocessor/macro/MacroFlex.ll b/preprocessor/macro/MacroFlex.ll
index dc8fe29b9..09c04da01 100644
--- a/preprocessor/macro/MacroFlex.ll
+++ b/preprocessor/macro/MacroFlex.ll
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ typedef Macro::parser::token token;
 %x FOR_BODY
 %x THEN_BODY
 %x ELSE_BODY
-%x COPY_DATE_INFO
+%x DATE_MATCH
+%x CLOSE_DATE
 
 %{
 // Increments location counter for every token read
@@ -92,17 +93,10 @@ DATE (-[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]+)([YyAa]|[Mm]([1-9]|1[0-2])|[Qq][1-4]|[Ww]([1-9]{1}|[1-
 <INITIAL>{DATE}             { yylloc->step(); *yyout << "dates('" << yytext << "')"; }
 <INITIAL>${DATE}            { yylloc->step(); *yyout << yytext + 1; }
 
-<INITIAL>dates{SPC}*\({SPC}* { yylloc->step(); *yyout << "dates("; dates_parens_nb=1; BEGIN(COPY_DATE_INFO); }
-<COPY_DATE_INFO><<EOF>>      { driver.error(*yylloc, "Unexpected end of file in dates statement"); }
-<COPY_DATE_INFO>{EOL}        { yylloc->lines(1); yylloc->step(); }
-<COPY_DATE_INFO>[^()]        { yylloc->step(); *yyout << yytext; }
-<COPY_DATE_INFO>\(           { yylloc->step(); *yyout << yytext; dates_parens_nb++; }
-<COPY_DATE_INFO>\)           {
-                               yylloc->step();
-                               *yyout << yytext;
-                               if (--dates_parens_nb == 0)
-                                 BEGIN(INITIAL);
-                             }
+<INITIAL>dates{SPC}*\({SPC}*       { yylloc->step(); *yyout << "dates("; BEGIN(DATE_MATCH); }
+<DATE_MATCH>\'{SPC}*{DATE}{SPC}*\' { yylloc->step(); *yyout << yytext; BEGIN(CLOSE_DATE); }
+<DATE_MATCH>{DATE}                 { yylloc->step(); *yyout << "'" << yytext << "'"; BEGIN(CLOSE_DATE); }
+<CLOSE_DATE>{SPC}*\)               { yylloc->step(); *yyout << ")"; BEGIN(INITIAL); }
 
 <EXPR>\}                    { BEGIN(INITIAL); return token::EOL; }