FINLAND — Metsä Group’s second-quarter sales fell 3% to Euro 1.38 billion, while comparable EBITDA rose 89% to Euro 129 million from Euro 68 million a year earlier. The comparable operating loss narrowed to Euro 3 million from Euro 37 million. Demand for market pulp remained weak in Europe and China. Economic uncertainty reduced demand for paper and paperboard, while customers continued to replace softwood pulp with hardwood pulp in some products. The structural decline in printing and writing paper also reduced softwood pulp demand in Europe and North America. …Third-quarter earnings will be reduced by maintenance shutdowns at the Äänekoski bioproduct mill, the Rauma pulp mill and the Husum mills. Sawn timber demand is expected to decline slightly for seasonal reasons, while construction demand in much of Europe and the UK will remain weak.