ATC DECLARED EMER FOR B757 ARR AFTER FLT CREW NOTED INABILITY TO HOLD UNTIL ISSUED EFC; FLT CREW VOICED CONCERN REGARDING ATC ACTION.

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WHILE HOLDING AT ABC1 FOR 55 MINS; OUR FLT WAS RELEASED INBOUND TO ZZZ1. ANOTHER FLT RPTED THAT IT NEEDED TO BE RELEASED FROM HOLDING IMMEDIATELY OR DIVERT. WE HAD AMPLE FUEL ON BOARD; SO WE TOLD CTR THAT WE WOULD LET THE OVERFLT TAKE OUR PLACE AND RETURNED TO HOLDING. AFTER AN ADDITIONAL TURN; WE WERE AGAIN RELEASED INBOUND TO ZZZ1. WITH VMC WX AND THE ENTIRE METROPOLITAN AREA IN CLR WX; WE WERE PUT INTO HOLDING AGAIN AT ABC2 INTXN. THE CTLR GAVE EFC'S 5 MINS APART; WITH OURS RESULTING IN 45 MINS OF HOLD TIME. I XMITTED THAT 'FOR REF' WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HOLD TO THE EFC. THE CTLR ASKED IF WE WERE DECLARING A FUEL EMER TO WHICH I SAID 'NEGATIVE.' WE HAD PLENTY OF FUEL FOR A DIVERT; JUST NOT AFTER ANOTHER 45 MINS OF HOLDING. WE WERE TAKEN OUT OF THE STACK AFTER A SHORT DELAY; SWITCHED FREQS AND WERE ASKED FOR 'SOULS AND FUEL ON BOARD.' I AGAIN STATED THAT WE HAD NOT DECLARED AN EMER; DID NOT NEED SPECIAL HANDLING; AND HAD 1 HR 15 MINS OF FUEL REMAINING. WE WERE ADVISED THAT CTR HAD DECLARED AN EMER FOR US. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF SYSTEMIC PROBS HERE. ATC DOES NOT KNOW THE FUEL BURN PERFORMANCE OF OUR ACFT; OUR DIVERT OPTIONS; OR FUEL RESERVES. THIS MAKES THE IDEA OF AN ATC STAFFER DECLARING AN EMER FOR A PIC COUNTERPRODUCTIVE PUTTING ALL FLTS AT RISK. SECONDLY; ATC STAFFERS DO NOT COMMUNICATE REALISTIC INFO ON ACTUAL HOLD TIMES PREDICTED; GENERALLY ISSUING EFC'S BASED ON NORDO CONSTRAINTS; 5 MINS APART. THE LATTER LACK OF INFO FORCES PLTS IN COMPLEX SITUATIONS TO GUESS ON OPTIONS. IN THIS CASE WE CONTINUED INBOUND FOR AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WITH WELL OVER 1 HR'S FUEL REMAINING; ENCOUNTERING NO INBOUND TFC VISUALLY OR ELECTRONICALLY. IT WAS OBVIOUS DURING OUR DSCNT AND ARR DURING WHICH WE HAD THE ENTIRE AREA IN CLR SIGHT; THAT ZZZ1 WAS HOLDING AIRBORNE TFC IN ORDER TO FACILITATE LAUNCHING OUTBOUND ACFT WITHOUT USING INTERSECTING RWYS. ZZZ1 IS CURRENTLY A MESS; AND THE LACK OF INFO AND ATC POLICIES ARE PUTTING PLTS INTO A SITUATION OF GUESSING ON CRITICAL MATTERS.