mill in the fourth quarter of 2008 . this compares with 635000 tons of total downtime in 2008 of which 305000 tons were lack-of-order downtime . printing papers in millions 2009 2008 2007 .
what is the variation observed in the value of operating expenses and other costs concerning the activities during 2008 and 2009?
north american printing papers net sales in 2009 were $ 2.8 billion compared with $ 3.4 billion in 2008 and $ 3.5 billion in 2007 . operating earnings in 2009 were $ 746 million ( $ 307 million excluding alter- native fuel mixture credits and plant closure costs ) compared with $ 405 million ( $ 435 million excluding shutdown costs for a paper machine ) in 2008 and $ 415 million in 2007 . sales volumes decreased sig- nificantly in 2009 compared with 2008 reflecting weak customer demand and reduced production capacity resulting from the shutdown of a paper machine at the franklin mill in december 2008 and the conversion of the bastrop mill to pulp production in june 2008 . average sales price realizations were lower reflecting slight declines for uncoated freesheet paper in domestic markets and significant declines in export markets . margins were also unfavorably affected by a higher proportion of shipments to lower-margin export markets . input costs , however , were favorable due to lower wood and chemical costs and sig- nificantly lower energy costs . freight costs were also lower . planned maintenance downtime costs in 2009 were comparable with 2008 . operating costs were favorable , reflecting cost control efforts and strong machine performance . lack-of-order downtime increased to 525000 tons in 2009 , including 120000 tons related to the shutdown of a paper machine at our franklin mill in the 2008 fourth quarter , from 135000 tons in 2008 . operating earnings in 2009 included $ 671 million of alternative fuel mixture cred- its , $ 223 million of costs associated with the shutdown of our franklin mill and $ 9 million of other shutdown costs , while operating earnings in 2008 included $ 30 million of costs for the shutdown of a paper machine at our franklin mill . looking ahead to 2010 , first-quarter sales volumes are expected to increase slightly from fourth-quarter 2009 levels . average sales price realizations should be higher , reflecting the full-quarter impact of sales price increases announced in the fourth quarter for converting and envelope grades of uncoated free- sheet paper and an increase in prices to export markets . however , input costs for wood , energy and chemicals are expected to continue to increase . planned maintenance downtime costs should be lower and operating costs should be favorable . brazil ian papers net sales for 2009 of $ 960 mil- lion increased from $ 950 million in 2008 and $ 850 million in 2007 . operating profits for 2009 were $ 112 million compared with $ 186 million in 2008 and $ 174 million in 2007 . sales volumes increased in 2009 compared with 2008 for both paper and pulp reflect- ing higher export shipments . average sales price realizations were lower due to strong competitive pressures in the brazilian domestic market in the second half of the year , lower export prices and unfavorable foreign exchange rates . margins were unfavorably affected by a higher proportion of lower margin export sales . input costs for wood and chem- icals were favorable , but these benefits were partially offset by higher energy costs . planned maintenance downtime costs were lower , and operating costs were also favorable . earnings in 2009 were adversely impacted by unfavorable foreign exchange effects . entering 2010 , sales volumes are expected to be seasonally lower compared with the fourth quarter of 2009 . profit margins are expected to be slightly higher reflecting a more favorable geographic sales mix and improving sales price realizations in export markets , partially offset by higher planned main- tenance outage costs . european papers net sales in 2009 were $ 1.3 bil- lion compared with $ 1.7 billion in 2008 and $ 1.5 bil- lion in 2007 . operating profits in 2009 of $ 92 million ( $ 115 million excluding expenses associated with the closure of the inverurie mill ) compared with $ 39 mil- lion ( $ 146 million excluding a charge to reduce the carrying value of the fixed assets at the inverurie , scotland mill to their estimated realizable value ) in 2008 and $ 171 million in 2007 . sales volumes in 2009 were lower than in 2008 primarily due to reduced sales of uncoated freesheet paper following the closure of the inverurie mill in 2009 . average sales price realizations decreased significantly in 2009 across most of western europe , but margins increased in poland and russia reflecting the effect of local currency devaluations . input costs were favorable as lower wood costs , particularly in russia , were only partially offset by higher energy costs in poland and higher chemical costs . planned main- tenance downtime costs were higher in 2009 than in 2008 , while manufacturing operating costs were lower . operating profits in 2009 also reflect favorable foreign exchange impacts . looking ahead to 2010 , sales volumes are expected to decline from strong 2009 fourth-quarter levels despite solid customer demand . average sales price realizations are expected to increase over the quar- ter , primarily in eastern europe , as price increases .