The New Member States did not yet have to implement the full cross-compliance package. Currently the GEAC requirements in the conditionality clause for the direct payments. The SMRs will become part of it starting from 2009. This paper looks into the Polish case and looks whether timely implementation is feasible. Several factors are mentioned, indicating that this will be a hard task. The problems with implementation explain why the new member states are advocating a gradual phasing in of the SMRs.