In 1998, she and the then Minister for Finance Erik Åsbrink announced their wish to "publicly confirm that we are in love" and their intention to separate from their respective partners.

[6][7] During a question & answer session in October 2019 in the European Parliament, Johansson was asked on whether Swedish policy on gang crime and migration would be exported to the EU level.

[8][9] In early March 2020, Johansson was appointed by President Ursula von der Leyen to serve on a special task force to coordinate the European Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[10][needs update] In September 2023, more than 120 boats carrying around 7,000 migrants from Africa arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in the span of 24 hours.

[14][15] In 2024 Fabrice Leggeri recalled back when he was director of Frontex and requested funding, Johansson asked why he needed uniforms and guns - since the refugees eventually came because of "love".

[19] Research by several newspapers led to allegations of questionable connections between Johansson and her staff and companies that would benefit financially from her proposal, including Thorn and WeProtect.

[21] Johansson reacted to growing rejection of her proposal by ordering commercial advertisement on Twitter[22] paid for with EU funds.