(14)To facilitate the issuance of European Green Bonds by smaller undertakings, the requirement to allocate the proceeds of European Green Bonds to environmentally sustainable economic activities should apply only to the net proceeds of such bonds. The net proceeds comprise the difference between the total bond proceeds and the issuance costs that are directly related to the issuance of the bond, which include the costs of financial intermediaries leading the issuance, advisory costs, legal costs, rating costs and the costs related to the external review. Issuers of European Green Bonds should be able to decide to allocate the gross proceeds, without deduction of costs, to environmentally sustainable economic activities.