I like this. Two quick questions, Johan (though one is more a suggestion):
Will these Achievements be somehow factored into the new Variable Victory Conditions?
For instance, could victory conditions for a nation like Romania include "Form Pact of Steel" and an Achievement like "Protect the Homeland", which would, for instance, include having no more than 10% of one's national provinces occupied by a foreign power? (Considering the intended eventual strength of the Soviet Union, I would consider this a serious victory for little Romania!)
The second is: Which branch of commands will these Achievements use? The tech tree effects, the event/triggered modifier effects, the minister effects? Will it be possible to use all of the above in them, or even, wonder of wonders, are these branches being merged, so you can use things like IC Efficiency in event modifiers, and lowered Practical Decay Rates in techs?
(Especially for Theory technologies, I think this would make sense, and would help grant some use to those oft-neglected Theory techs. Imagine sinking about five research levels into "Armour Theory", and having the practical decay rate for armor drop - I personally think this would be very useful.)
Thanks for getting on the ball so quickly and starting to pound out these dev diaries!
~Kaoru
EDIT: Also, sorry to bug you again, but: Will the presence of these achievements be check-able by the LUA script, by decision, and by event? Mayhap a trigger like "has_country_achievement="?