Here is the new Mission Mechanic for us:
As you can see, several missions are lit up. Unlike before, you can see every single mission available to your nation, and you are doing them all at once. As you complete one, you will get the bonuses, and then more downstream open up.
We also have our own set of national ideas to take as we get Ideas unlocked.
Here they are:
As you can see, our ideas push trade and diplomacy, so I will likely play into that.