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I thought all border checks between EU countries had been removed.

I was surprised when they briefly checked our passports between France and Spain.

No one checked between italy and France.

So what's the deal?

No.

Immigration checks between Schengen signatories (see here) - which includes some non-EU countries too - aren't mandatory, but can be implemented whenever one of the states wants to.

As regards customs between EU states, you can only be stopped on suspicion of carrying something illegal, not for declaration of goods/duty etc (with some notable exceptions as regards tobacco, alcohol and new member states).

Many countries also have laws which mandate ID being carried on you.

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. This past summer we drove from France into Switzerland with our son who was sporting a big beard and we were stopped for IDs. I think they probably thought we had picked up a hitch-hiker LOL. BTW ~ we all have EU passports.

They have not been done away with compeltely but are rather sporadic now. Some events like the soccer world cup also allow the EU country to close its borders and temporarily put Shengen "out of order" In this case it was to filter the hooligans. Every Shengen country is allowed to do checks when and if it has reason to do so.

Switzerland had not implemented the Schengen provisions last summer. Unless I am mistaken, these provisions should be implemented sometime next year.

On the few times that I've driven into Switzerland, I've always done brief border formalities...usually a cursory glance at the driving license and passport. No checks (or border gate for that matter) between Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

All in all a painless process, but it will be nice when they are part of Schengen.

Last summer we entered Germany from France during World Cup time, and Germany had a full check set up that everyone seemed to have to go through.

I'm not sure what you're insinuating JOUY, but "I know what I did last summer"! :D

We go to France every year for many weeks and always make several excursions into neighbouring countries. Usually we'll just get a wave on, sometimes a peek into the car, but this time they obviously wanted to check.
I've no problem with that. ;)

Not insinuating anything (I don't work for French customs or border police ;)). Just stating that, although Switzerland has signed the bi-lateral agreement implementing the Schengen provisions, there is a deadline for implementing it and it should be sometime in 2008, unless I am mistaken. Hopefully, it will come soon, although I will miss the dual immigration check in GVA airport and the immigration check at Geneva Cornavin railway station.

As to my personal experience, I have never been stopped at the border crossing near GVA airport, and every single time when crossing from France into Switzerland using the A411.

By car:

Netherlands to Germany - never stopped.
Germany to Netherlands - never stopped.
Germany to France - never stopped.
Belgium to Netherlands - never stopped.
Netherlands to Belgium - never stopped.

By train:

France to Spain - stopped and passports checked.
France to Belgium - not checked.
Belgium to Netherlands - not checked
Belgium to France - not checked but customs presence on the platform in Paris.
Germany to Netherlands - not checked but customs presence in Amsterdam.

By plane:

always checked (except once at FRA, go figure) but I'm not sure how much was immigration and how much was security.

Border checks between the Benelux countries were formally abolished 30+ years ago (it could be much more than that - all I know is that had ceased to exist by the mid-70s)

11 April 1960

Switzerland and Cyprus are sometime in 2008 but not a firm date in the year yet given as far as I know.

Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta are live this coming Dec. 21st by surface transport and then around March 2008 for flights.

I have never been checked!
There are some/sometimes exceptions, when/where people get checked:

-Germany to Luxembourg - money, tax evasion :D
-Germany to Switzerland - money, tax evasion :D
-Before events (soccer play, etc.) - to catch hooligans

And btw Switzerland is no EU Country!