Glossary
Lex specialis
The legal principle by which DORA takes precedence over the NIS2 directive for the financial entities it covers.
Lex specialis derogat legi generali: a special law takes precedence over a general law covering the same subject. The DORA regulation is explicitly described as lex specialis in relation to the NIS2 directive for the financial sector.
In practice, a financial entity covered by DORA applies DORA for its cybersecurity, not NIS2 — even if, by virtue of its sector of activity, it could also have fallen under NIS2. The two texts nevertheless remain complementary on other aspects (incident notification to national CSIRTs, European cooperation...).